Shattered Life
by Elven Girl
Summary: Well, James Potters' existance is slowly coming to light and Hermione Granger is in love with him. Now, add Hermione captured by Voldemort and Severus Snape caught in the middle of things.... Hermiones' in for one hell of a ride....
1. Close Call

A Tale of Dancing Flames  
  
  
  
Chapter #1 Close Call  
  
{August 10th, 4:00 a.m.}  
  
Hermione Granger jolted awake, sweating. Yet again, she had dreamed of Lily Potter, silently pleading her to go do something, but Hermione wasn't sure what Lily Potter wanted. Again James Potter's face flew into her mind. She couldn't figure out why lately, as she looked at the copy picture of the Potters wedding she had wanted from Harry, she was always thinking of him. He was handsome, sure. No one could possibly be in better shape. He had smooth, hairless skin, and dark eyes. Hermiones' mom said he was the kind of person who talked more with the fiery glow in his eyes, and that he was a serious thinker. James' body was finely chiseled, with a straight back and a small head. He had slender, powerful- looking arms and long muscular legs. He was just the right shape for a seeker in quidditch. Long legs to grip the broomstick, slender, long arms to catch the snitch, and a very keen- looking eye. Yet he carried the same trait his son did, his hair seemed to defy the rules of gravity and stuck up all over the place. She sighed. He's dead so quit fancying him! A voice yelled in her head. Honestly, thinking your best friends' dead father is hot, God alone knows what Harry would say. Hermione could hear the soft hum of a helicopter. Brushing sweat from her sleep-weary eyes, she stared out the window and gasped in surprise. It looked like the town was under attack. The Grangers lived on the outskirts of town and the mayhem had not yet reached their house. The helicopter swooped down, picking people up and setting them to safety. But the men, obviously Death Eaters, were all ready at her house, and soon the house was devoured in flames. Hermione screamed and battled the smoke fighting fire and Death Eaters alike. They were laughing and torturing her parents.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
{August 10th, 4:30 a.m.}  
  
"God damn shitting muggles! Can't you let me sink into black oblivion, or do you have to wake me up, ya lousy bums!" James Potter woke up from the cave he had been sleeping in for only one week, and already he was sick of the place. He had been reborn on the 3rd of August and it was one week later. He had blasted the hell out of his coffin, and it was a good thing it was the middle of the night or people would be pretty shocked. James scrambled up and peered out of the cave, ready to yell, but he was silenced by horror. Death Eaters swarming the town. Then he heard, from a little white house set against the forest, s girl scream. He jumped up and raced forward, transforming into a stag along the way. He charged in and scared the death eaters away by bellowing at them, and he stood protectively over the girl they were planning to rape. Two muggles, presumably her parents, were lying there as dead as doorknobs. He bent down on his knees and hocks, offering her a ride. She looked up at him before racing into a bedroom. She skidded back out holding a wand. He bent down again, allowing her to climb awkwardly on. She barely had time to grip anything, so she grabbed on to his muscular neck, and she held fast like a burr. He galloped off and leapt clearly into the forest, his back hooves flying up into the air in a single, energetic crow- hop. She clung on to his broad back as they galloped into the forest.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione opened her eyes to a bright glare of sunlight. Her stomach rumbled painfully and she looked around for something to eat. She blinked in surprise and decided to find the stag that had saved her life. He was there, laying in a patch of shade and munching thoughtfully on a pile of leaves that he had knocked off the tree. His head shot up and he stared at Hermione for a whole silent minute before returning to his leaf pile. Hermione smiled, satisfied. He looked at her for a second before sighing and getting up onto his feet. Then he looked at her strangely and she stroked him, letting him sniff her. She touched is shoulder gently and smiled as he accepted her affection. He looked at her again before shuddering and, with a faint pop, turned into a human. Hermione froze in shock.  
  
"Whe, huh? But, but, tha, that's impossible!" she whispered in surprise.  
  
"Naw. Do it all the time. Course, you muggle folk sure are strange." The man had his back to her, but she judged him to be six feet at least. His hair was messy and jet-black, with not one single gray hair poking out on his head. He was muscular and compact, yet lithe. It didn't matter that she hadn't seen his face because she knew who it was.  
  
"No, Mr. Potter! I mean, you died the night You-Know-Who tried to kill Harry!" The man spun around in shock.  
  
"Oh. My. God. You're a witch?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm a muggle-born!" Hermione said quickly. "And I'm also your sons' best friend!"  
  
"Wait a sec, back up! Voldemort tried to kill Harry? I thought. You're Harrys' friend? He's alive?" The man seemed to be panicking slightly.  
  
"Of course he's alive!" Hermione said, not sure where the conversation was heading.  
  
"What about.?"  
  
"Moony, and Padfoot and Snape, and Dumbledore! They're alive too!"  
  
"Basically saying that I have reason to live?"  
  
Of course!" Hermione said, laughing.  
  
"Oh, thank you so much! I was sinking into oblivion! You saved my life, kiddo!" James rushed forward and enveloped her in a hug, sweeping her up in his muscular arms and pressing her passionately against his chest. Remembering her former thoughts of James Potter, she blushed deeply and squirmed in delight while in his embrace. Finally he set her down and grinned. A loud bang startled them out of their thoughts. He swiveled his head and gasped at the sight. Death Eaters. And lots of them.  
  
"Get up! Let's get out of here!" He said nervously.  
  
"But where do we go?" Hermione whispered, frightened by the Death Eaters.  
  
"Hold on!" James said firmly, He hoisted her up and set her on his shoulders. Then he transformed and cantered away from the campsite. Voldemort himself came running eagerly after them. But James was too swift. He darted into a cove and waited until, finally, all the dark wizards were gone. Then he glanced down at Hermione. She had fallen off of his back.  
  
"Close call." END OF CHAPTER 


	2. Food of Death

Okay, thanks to hgranger, the girl who adored my story {Whoever you are, thanks, you're the reason there's another chapter} and Allycatherm. Hermione obviously likes James, but does he feel the same way? And what about Harry? What would he think of that? Lily will be in the story, but she ain't coming back, at least not yet. Read and Review. Review again if you already did. C'mon, they motivate me!  
  
  
  
Chapter #2  
  
{August 10th, 1:00 p.m.}  
  
"Hermione, wake up."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You hit your head on a rock when you fell off my back." His voice was heaven to her ears. His hands were moving slowly down her back, massaging her. {No, not that way, ya sick people!} She looked up into his face and smiled weakly.  
  
"I'm okay."  
  
"Are you sure?" His face was tense with obvious concern.  
  
"'Just a bit dizzy, that's all." She replied, trying to sound casual. James sighed.  
  
"Do you want something to eat?" He asked, wondering suddenly why he was concerned about her. It must be his compassion towards females.  
  
"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry." She said, but she swayed in dizziness. James scowled at her.  
  
"You should lie down and rest." He said firmly. Her face was pale and her hair was damp. "But not here. You'll catch a cold." He added, looking around. The water reached up to her chest, and she was shivering. Hermione nodded weakly. Then, with a small sigh, she drifted into unconsciousness, and right into his arms. James picked her up and clambered out of the cove. Looking around, he followed the small stream that flowed out of their hiding place and, half an hour later he came to a likely looking place for some peace. But James was well aware of the task at hand. He had a hard enough time feeding himself, let alone a growing girl. A waterfall cascaded over the cliff that rose up on the far side. The stream ran around and passed a giant apple tree. What luck. A whole tree full of food. James thought happily. Not only that, but that apple tree filled a whole corner of the meadow with a cool, peaceful shade. James set the girl in the shade and quietly transformed. Standing on his hind legs, he plucked three apples from the tree. Then he transformed back, thought about where they could possibly go. They were far from the town where Hermione lived, and that town itself was extremely isolated. It was in the middle of nowhere and they were far from that small little town, so they were even more in the middle of nowhere. He sighed and took off his shirt. The heat was almost too much to bear. The only good thing he could say about the heat was that it would dry off their clothes fast. Already his once sopping pants were almost dry, and Hermiones' clothes were dry already. She was starting to wake up.  
  
"Urgh." She groaned. "Where am I?" She looked around and when she saw James with no shirt on she blushed deeply.  
  
"What?" James asked in amusement when he saw where her gaze was. "Never seen a chest before?" Hermione would have loved to say," Not one that muscular." But she was too shy to say anything. James shook his head.  
  
"Here, have an apple." He muttered, grinning.  
  
"Thanks." She replied, looking around. "Nice place." She added as an afterthought.  
  
"Yeah. You were out of it for about an hour before you started to wake up." James said, munching on a shiny red apple. Hermione picked up an apple and bit into it.  
  
"Mmm." She murmured. The apple was sweet. James looked around.  
  
"We can't live off apples, you know. We need protein." He said quietly.  
  
"Where do you get protein?" Hermione asked slowly.  
  
"Berries." James answered, walking over to a bush and picked of a round, pink berry. He ate it and smiled.  
  
"Is it good?" Hermione asked eagerly. James nodded. Hermione ate the other apple while James snacked on berries. When their stomachs were satisfied with the food the two laid down to rest. They were lying there for two hours when James showed the first sign of sickness. He groaned.  
  
"My stomach hurts." He whispered softly. Hermione looked up.  
  
"Probably eating all those leaves before." She said, smiling.  
  
"Yeah, probably." James muttered. "They never bothered me before though." He added thoughtfully. They glanced t each other and shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
{August 11th, 9:00 p.m.}  
  
"Urgh, my stomach." James groaned. Hermione glanced at him in concern. He was feeling lousy and his stomach was upset. His face was pale with a slight tinge of green.  
  
"James." Hermione said suddenly. "What kind of berries were those? The ones you ate yesterday. What were they?"  
  
"I dunno, but they sure were good." James said weakly. Hermione gasped. "What?" He asked in surprise.  
  
"What if they were poisonous?" Hermione asked in concern. James' face paled even more. {A/N: Who saw that coming? They were poisonous? Oohh!}  
  
"I never thought to check." He whispered. "I was so hungry." Hermione blinked.  
  
"What do we do now?" She asked with a glance at the berry bush. A raspy sound answered. "James? James? JAMES!" He was lying on his side, breathing in shallow, uneven pants. Hermione looked around wildly then, her stomach in a tight knot, she grabbed James around the middle and pushed into his abdomen. She repeated it until a mess of blood and berries flew from his throat. He mumbled something incoherently before passing out. Hermione sighed in relief and glanced around. She picked up his shirt and soaked it in water. Then she pressed it gently against his hot forehead. Before long she too had fallen into her stream of subconscious, dreaming only of him. Neither of them noticed when a slight shimmer of gold filled the clearing in the shape of a woman. She smiled.  
  
"James," she cooed, "You've found someone to love. I'm so happy for you." And with that the ghostly form of Lily Potter vanished, leaving no trace that the two had a visitor.  
  
END OF CHAPTER  
  
Okay, so Lily is happy that James has found someone to love, but will James love Hermione, or will guilt fill his heart? It's a triangle. Oh yeah, if you were wondering why Lily kept showing up in Hermiones' dream, it was because she wanted Hermione to love James, so he would be happy. Well, at least that's clear. 


	3. Believe me, If I was a Bad Fire Prince

Are you crazy? I'm not gonna make father and son fight over a girl! Yeesh. They will have an adventure together, though. I can guarantee some action! Oh yeah. Was that sarcasm, Kaori Knight, cause I think that was kinda annoying. But hey, flames welcome! Especially carefully constructed ones! Oh yeah, Anne Black, I SAID JAMES WAS A FUCKING SEEKER, SO JAMES WAS A FUCKING SEEKER! Besides, I know he was a chaser, but being a seeker plays an important role in the story. Thanks for reviewing! Though your flaming sucks big time. Ern, sorry about that, I usually tend to be a bit, um, aggressive. Yeah. That and it just kinda makes me had when people point out mistakes that I made purposefully. Sorry! No pun intended! I'm 11 years old, what the fuck do you expect? {Um, yeah, I swear a lot} Heh, heh ,heh!  
  
  
  
Chapter #3 {August 12th, 7:00 a.m.}  
  
Hermione groaned and looked around. The sun was shining down merrily into the clearing, making the grass look greener than ever from the sparkling dew. She remembered suddenly about James and looked wildly around, not aware yet that there was a weight in her lap. She looked down and smiled. James was lying right near her, his head in her lap. She thought about waking him because she couldn't move, but decided to let him sleep. She was pleased to see that his skin was no longer pale, it had a healthy tan on it. His chest was rising up and down softly, a clear sign that he was still alive. His black hair was reflecting blue lights. The day was definitely going to be hot. She laid James' head down on the ground and started to get ready to climb the tree and get an apple. She was trying her hardest but the tree was tall and thick, and she kept sliding down and getting slivers in her hands.  
  
"You know there happens to be an easier way to do that." A voice said from behind her. She spun around. James had gotten up and he was standing there, calm as ever.  
  
"How, then?" Hermione asked, plainly frustrated. James shrugged.  
  
"I'll transform, you stand on my back and pick as many as you think we'll eat."  
  
"But are you feeling up to it? I thought you were dying last night!" Hermione exclaimed, grimacing.  
  
"Naw. I'm all better." James replied, shrugging. Hermione sighed.  
  
"You should just relax you know. You need rest." She answered swiftly.  
  
"Nope. Got everything I need right here. I got food, water, and a pretty companion." James replied, grinning. Hermione blushed.  
  
"I'm not really pretty." She muttered quietly.  
  
"What are you talking about? Look at you, you're beautiful!" James exclaimed with a quirky gin. Hermione shook her head.  
  
"I'm not." She whispered. James took her face in his hands.  
  
"Listen to me, you are beautiful in your own way. You hair is nice, your eyes are to kill for. And your emotional side is what I like." He answered, smiling at her warmly.  
  
"What does that mean?" She asked curiously.  
  
"You're nice, that's what it means." James replied with a shrug. Hermione watched as he got up, sighed and relaxed, then a faint pop signaled his transformation. A tall stag with stormy blue eyes and a lethal looking rack of antlers was standing there patiently. Hermione walked over to him and he bent down on his front legs in a bowing motion. She held on and he rose carefully. Hermione had rode a horse before, but that was all, and that horse had been bumpy. When she was sitting on his back it felt like she was sitting on a cloud. He stood up his hind legs and she reached up, snatching four apples out of the tree. He got back down and transformed with her still clinging to his back. She looked down at him and blushed. He grinned and let her get down, then he took an apple and bit into it hungrily.  
  
"So how come you're alive? I thought You-Know-Who killed you and Lily." Hermione asked curiously.  
  
"Well, I didn't really die. I kinda just faded away. That's what a Fire Prince does, he can't die, he just leaves the planet for a while." James said with a shrug.  
  
"You're a Fire Prince? Aren't they, like, disturbed and dangerous?" Hermione asked in surprise.  
  
"They get the same prejudice that werewolves get. Just because one was insane or vicious doesn't necessarily mean the whole lot of us are." James replied, scowling. Hermione grinned, knowing James was referring to Lupin, a former teacher.  
  
"Yeah, Remus Lupin isn't vicious." She said with a shrug.  
  
"You know Remus?" James said in surprise.  
  
"Yeah, he taught me and Harry in our third year. I found out he was a werewolf because Snape assigned us an essay, when Lupin was gone on the full moon. He probably misses you guys in your animagus form." Hermione said nonchalantly.  
  
"Whoa, how could Snape spare teach?"  
  
"He teaches potions."  
  
"Eww. How do you know about us being animagi?"  
  
"Lupin and Sirius told us." James perked up.  
  
"So they're alive?"  
  
"Yeah. You thought they were dead too?"  
  
"Werewolves only live average 15 to 20 years. That means Remus has been a werewolf for 30 years, cause he got bitten when he was 5, and he'd be 35 right now. And Sirius, I thought he was in Azkaban."  
  
"He broke out. And most werewolves die from either suicide or depression. Lupin is stronger-minded than that." Hermione giggled at the look on James' face.  
  
"Well, if any person alive could break out of Azkaban its Sirius." He said thoughtfully. "Say, how did Snape become a teacher? I thought he was a spy."  
  
"I don't know why Dumbledore trusts him." Hermione replied.  
  
"You know, I'm the one that helped him shake off the ministry." James replied. "I trust him, to a certain extent."  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
"But how could Snape be a teacher? He's an idiot." James added, smirking.  
  
"So you aren't a bad Fire Prince?" Hermione asked nervously.  
  
"Trust me, if I was a bad Fire Prince, and you pissed me off, there wouldn't be nothing but a pile of ashes left. " James replied with a shrug. Hermione grinned and the two feasted on apples for the rest of the morning.  
  
END OF CHAPTER  
  
Well, there you have it. Poor James, he seems to be in love. I'll have to add his feelings in the next chapter. Don't forget to review! 


	4. I'm Gonna Miss Her

I'm so sorry this chapter took so long! I've been so busy, don't get mad! It gets mushy but only a little bit. Oh yeah, I don't think I'll give Harry a girlfriend. He'll have enough to worry about. And I definitely won't be giving Ron an easy time. Heh, heh, heh. Yeah, this plot is pretty complicated. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
  
  
Chapter #4  
  
James watched the girl thoughtfully. She was very nice, and though her physical beauty had took his breath away, it was really her emotional beauty that was the most astounding part of her. James felt a wave of sadness. She probably already had a boyfriend, he didn't know why he even bothered to fall in love with her. But he really couldn't help it. The mere sight of her made his heart swell up with joy, {cough, and a certain male body part swells, cough.} and he knew that feeling. But he tried to ignore it as he realized that he had another task at hand. He had to get Hermione to Hogwarts before start of term, on September 1st. What about Harry, though? What would he say? James smiled at the idea. What a twisted world they all lived in. James was in love with Hermione, whose best friend was his son, who was Ron's best friend, and Ron was in love with Hermione. On the other hand, Harry was protective of Hermione, Ron was jealous of Harry, who thought of Hermione as just a friend. So Ron was bound to be jealous of James. And maybe that would make Harry hate his father because he wanted Hermione to be safe? James shook his head furiously. All of this thinking, it made him dizzy.  
  
"So, ern, who's your boyfriend?" James asked, trying, and hoping, to sound curious and off-hand. Hermione blushed.  
  
"I don't have one."  
  
"Really?" James asked, and Hermione thought she detected a bit of delight in his voice.  
  
"Well, I used to be with Victor Krum, but he ditched me." Hermione said with a shrug.  
  
"He ditched you? What a bastard." James muttered, fuming to himself. Hermione grinned.  
  
"Yeah, at least you know that. Everybody else just thinks he's the best. He plays on the Bulgarian quidditch team. He's a seeker." She said quietly. James smiled at her sadly.  
  
"Are you over him?"  
  
"I don't know. He just ditched me. He didn't even look sad. I think he looked kinda happy to get rid of me." She whispered, a sob bursting from her throat.  
  
"Hey," James murmured, pulling her to his chest. "Shhh, don't cry. It's okay, I'm here." He sighed. What a stupid thing to say. Hermione sobbed quietly into his clothes. After a minute or so she pulled away, looking embarrassed.  
  
"I got your shirt all wet." She whispered, going slightly red.  
  
"It's okay. I think my shirt needed to be clean anyway." James said quietly. He caressed her head softly. "I didn't know that would upset you. I'm sorry, Hermione." He whispered.  
  
"That's okay. I just can't believe I did that." She muttered sadly.  
  
"Oh, you mean cry? Hermione, crying heals old wounds from the inside, you know?" James murmured quietly. Hermione nodded.  
  
"James?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't leave." Hermione whispered, burrowing her head once again in his chest.  
  
"I won't, but I'm taking you to Hogwarts." James whispered. Hermione nodded weakly. "I meant we're leaving now." He said with a comforting smile.  
  
"Oh. Are we walking?" Hermione asked doubtfully.  
  
"Naw. You can ride me! If that's okay with you." He added hastily. Hermione nodded. James transformed and Hermione clambered on. Whirling around, he took off, not even caring to slow down as a brush blocked his path. He jumped that, and when a barbed wire fence appeared on the trail, he ignored Hermiones' gasp and jumped that too. Hermione grinned. She doubted James could have slowed down that fast anyway. He was going so fast. They ran for a whole day, and Hermione was amazed at the speed and stamina James had. Finally, just before dark, they stopped. James panted tiredly and didn't even bother to transform. They rested with Hermiones' head leaning on his shoulder.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Remus Lupin and Sirius Black sat drinking booze together in silent companionship. They were both worried about Harry, but even more worried about Hermione. Her parents were found dead after an attack from Death Eaters, but she was still missing. Remus thought that she had run away from the home. After all, she knew what a Death Eater could do to muggles. Sirius was a little more skeptical.  
  
"They took her, Remus. They probably use her as a toy for their sick games!" Sirius has spat out after reading the daily prophet.  
  
Today they were afraid to read the paper. They were afraid that she was found raped and dead near her house. Remus glanced down at the paper.  
  
"Lets read it together." He said suddenly. Sirius nodded and picked up the paper, turning to the article. He snorted when he saw the headline.  
  
Girl Still Missing After Death Eater Attack.  
  
15 year old Hermione Granger still not found after the attack on the little town where the Grangers lived. Nearby neighbor says "We heard screams and yells but we didn't see the girl come out of the house. But those hooded people did, and they didn't have Hermione." The girl was claimed dead after a long search. Ministry still asking questions.  
  
Remus and Sirius scowled at each other.  
  
Why'd they claim her dead?" Sirius said in fury.  
  
"I don't know but that's awful. How could they do that? I mean, they aren't even looking for her anymore!" Remus said angrily.  
  
"I'm gonna miss her." Sirius whispered. 


	5. Prince Charming

LONG YET IMPORTANT AUTHORS' NOTES. STORY COUNTS ON READING THEM! {Shout it out for the whole wide world. Cough, gah! My throat!}  
  
Okay, I just finished chapter 9 on this story and I need to know, do you want Draco Malfoy {We all love him, folks!} to be in Gryffindor, or should he stay in Slytherin? He might turn out to be Harrys' friend, but I'm not sure if my readers want that. {See how considerate I am!} Note the sarcasm. Just a little something to say, people. Just because you reviewed one chapter doesn't mean that you can't spare the time to click on the purple rectangle when another chapter comes out. I'm BEGGING YOU! KEEP REVIEWING! I need reviews! They motivate me. Ain't I just criminal? I have chapter 9 written out, I'm working on chapter 10 and I only have five chapters posted. Mwa ha, ha, ha! Don't freak out, I just need reviews. Then I'll post more chapters.  
  
Chapter #5  
  
August 15th 9:00 p.m.  
  
James nudged Hermiones' leg as he cantered on. He was going slower and they were planning on not stopping all night. The sun was setting in a crimson line against the sky and lighting up the western side of the land. Above them, the first star had appeared, glowing brightly. James smiled. The stars had always reminded him of Sirius and the moon made him think of Moony. The moon was at its first quarter, looking like a perfect semi- circle. His stride lengthened as he felt the wind blowing, sweeping back his ears. Hermione giggled. She liked riding him. But most of all she liked to be with him. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind brush her hair back against her head.  
  
  
  
September 1st 9:00 a.m. {A/N: Sorry for jumping the date a little bit. I know it's kinda stupid but you see I wanted them to burst into Hogwarts while Dumbledore was telling the school about Hermione being dead.}  
  
The sun was shining brightly down on them, warming them up. James yawned and stretched. Hermione was lying beside him, muttering in her sleep. He grinned and reached over, shaking her awake.  
  
"Wha?" She murmured slowly.  
  
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!"  
  
"Mmmm, we all know how sleeping beauty woke up." She said turning over and closing her eyes again.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Got kissed by her Prince Charming." Hermione answered. James blinked. Then, with a broad grin on his face, he pulled her into a sitting position and his lips met hers. Hermione blinked. She had been totally unprepared for the kiss, but she thought she would melt right there. Finally he pulled away. And got to his feet.  
  
"Now are you coming? We're only five miles from the castle!" He exclaimed, but Hermione seemed to be in shock. Nobody had ever kissed her before.  
  
"Yeah, I'm coming." She muttered dazedly. They walked through the forest, Hermione staying close to James because she didn't know the forest that well. And because he was warm and comforting.  
  
"So, are you a smart student or are you one of the lower ones?" James asked cheerfully.  
  
"Well, I'm the top student in my year." Hermione replied slowly. James grinned.  
  
"Oh, I see. Lily was the top student too."  
  
"Don't you miss her?"  
  
"She's right here. I know she's with me, and I know she wants me to be happy. Add those up, and that's why I'm determined not to feel guilty about dating and marrying other women. If I ever find the right one." He added thoughtfully. Hermione nodded. He's so strong. She thought. If that was me I'd sit down and try to forget that I'm even alive.  
  
"I think we're near the castle. I recognize this part of the forest." She said suddenly. Her tongue traveled absentmindedly over her lips. She could still taste his lips on hers. It wasn't an awful taste, it was rather like peppermints.  
  
"Yeah. So how are we gonna explain this? Everybody thinks I'm dead, and the ministry probably gave up searching for you." James said suddenly.  
  
"Why would the ministry be looking for me?" Hermione said in confusion.  
  
"Because your house was attacked and your parents are dead, right? But you weren't there. The ministry would've told the aurors to find you. It's been a while so they probably think you're dead." He said quietly.  
  
"Oh. Hey, maybe they gave me a funeral." Hermione said with a giggle. James smirked.  
  
"Uh, they gave me a funeral. Heh, you think they'll be afraid of me? You know, like, I'm a ghost or something?" He said slowly.  
  
"Yeah, maybe. Hey, look! Hagrids' hut!" Hermione squealed excitedly. James smiled. He couldn't help thinking that Dumbledore was in for a major shock.  
  
"So do you want to go straight to the castle or do you want to go see Hagrid first?" He asked Hermione, who shrugged.  
  
"I think we should go see Professor Dumbledore. Oh no!"  
  
"What's oh no?"  
  
"The feast! It's 9: 00'clock p.m.! C'mon!" Hermione tugged at James' shirt. James muttered something and lifted her onto his shoulders and took off running towards Hogwarts. They stopped when they heard the headmasters' voice.  
  
"I am sorry to say that yet another student is missing due to dark magic and death eaters. Hermione Grangers' body was not found, but on August 10th she was declared dead. They had a funeral on the 15th. Those who had the privilege of knowing such a wonderful person understand that she would want us to carry on, not mourn over her." Dumbledore said sadly. Hermione pressed her ear to the door. She could hear people crying and whimpering, some people whispering. James glanced at her, and she nodded. He lifted his hand and was about to knock, but Hermione shook her head.  
  
"I don't think you should go in just yet." She murmured uncertainly. James flashed her a grin and backed off.  
  
"Hey Hermione? If you need me for anything I'll be roaming around the forest in my animagus form. Okay?"  
  
"Um, I guess. Oh, be careful!" She murmured. He nodded and ran out towards the forest. She sighed and opened the door, a weak smile spreading across her face as several people gasped in both shock and delight.  
  
"Um. Sorry I'm late Headmaster." She apologized, and took her reserved seat at the Gryffindor table. The shocked school returned silently to their dinner.  
  
END OF CHAPTER 


	6. Uncomfort

Chapter #6  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked slowly up to the Gryffindor common room. It wasn't until they got there that Hermione noticed something pinned to Harrys' robes.  
  
"Harry? What's that?" She asked curiously. Harry smiled tired. Hermione felt sure that this wasn't the first time someone had asked him. He took it off and handed to her. Hermione gasped. It was a shiny silver Prefect badge.  
  
"Yep." He said, as though he was reading her mind. "I'm a prefect, believe it or not. And what really rocks is now I can take points away! Cool eh?" He grinned at Hermione, but she was thinking only of James.  
  
"Hey Herm, where have you been?" Ron asked, but Harry threw him a warning glance. Ron glanced at Harry in confusion. The two were still in shock with the fact that Hermione was alive.  
  
"Well," Hermione said carefully. "I got caught by Death Eaters. I was really scared, but while they were leading me to this building, one of them slipped. He let go of me and fell into this cow pond. It was quite funny, but the situation was quite grim." Hermione said, laughing. Ron raised a questioning eyebrow at Harry, who shrugged. Hermione glanced at Harry and she knew that he knew that she was lying. He looked at her and shrugged, but Hermione saw a flicker of understanding in his eyes, which now seemed ten times brighter than before. He winked lightly at her before turning to run.  
  
"Hey Dopey, ya remember the password?" He asked Ron loudly. Hermione smiled at him gratefully, but she still didn't understand. Wouldn't Harry be mad that she was lying? Apparently not.  
  
"Hey, you're the prefect around here, not me!" Ron replied, a flicker of jealousy in his eyes.  
  
"Um."  
  
"Ah, there you are. May I have a word, Ms. Granger?" The three spun around, coming face to face with Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"Ern, I guess so." She said nervously.  
  
"And don't be late!" Harry called, sounding like Percy Weasley but Hermione caught the amusement in his voice, and the two boys burst into laughter. She scurried after Dumbledore.  
  
"Ms. Granger, you understand why I called you here?" He asked. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You arrived under rather unusual circumstances. Do you understand why I feel slightly uneasy?"  
  
"Do you think I'm like, on the dark side?" Hermione asked in surprise.  
  
"Hermione, I suspect you of being on the dark side no more than I suspect Harry. I am merely stating that if Death Eaters attacked your place, and killed your parents, why are you here? Why did they not finish you?" He pressed.  
  
"Oh, Professor! Um." Hermione was stumbling over her words. Dumbledore frowned. Surly it wouldn't be that hard to tell him. Give him these simple answers. But maybe he was overlooking something? Possibly. Maybe he was being insensitive. There had to be some traumatic event, or she wouldn't be stammering.  
  
"Ms. Granger, if you don't feel comfortable with these questions at the moment, I will call you perhaps tomorrow night?" He asked. Hermione nodded, and Dumbledore could see that her face was streaked with tears.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. Run along now, Ms. Granger. You surely need sleep." He answered, and watched as she ran away. He took a pinch of powder and threw it into the fireplace.  
  
"Severus! A word if you please." He called. Moments later the man spun into view.  
  
"Yes Headmaster?" He asked in that same cold voice.  
  
"Tell me, Severus, what is the best way to get answers from a reluctant teenage girl?" Dumbledore asked  
  
"Patience, Headmaster, patients. Why do you ask?" Severus answered.  
  
"How long before they spill?"  
  
"Depends on the subject."  
  
"Example?"  
  
"Takes 'em ten minutes to tell you that they hate you. Takes 'em ten months to tell you they love you." Snape said with a shrug. "Why?" He asked again.  
  
"Ms. Granger will not tell me what troubles her." Dumbledore replied thoughtfully. "I don't get it, Severus. Is it because she's ashamed? Embarrassed?"  
  
"She could be just upset."  
  
"Sorry to bother you Severus. You may go."  
  
"Good day, Headmaster. Or more appropriately, good night." Severus left, leaving the older wizard speechless and confused.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
James immediately inhabited the passageway in the womping willow. Nobody could possibly find him here, and he had easy access to the Hogsmeade Mountains if he needed to run. He had a terrible longing for Hermione in his heart. He smiled as he recalled their kiss, if you could call it such a sweet word as kissing. It was strange though. He was old enough to be her father! And still, he could understand this feeling. He knew what love felt like. But this was accompanied by something else. Something that was totally alien to James Potters' mind. It was a strange feeling. And why did he bother? Did she love him, or did she just think he was troublesome? James sighed. He was too confused at the moment. And suddenly the fact hit him, somewhere in his chest: My son is in that school. It was strange. Everything was different from when he had last actually seen the wizarding world. Nobody was being secretive. Everyone was open and cheerful. But Voldemort was still alive! How could they walk around so carefree? Pondering over this, James fell asleep, a tree root tucked under his head for a pillow.  
  
End Of Chapter. 


	7. Working Our Butts off

Chapter #7  
  
  
  
Harry Ron and Hermione trudged into the great hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table. Ron sighed.  
  
"Man I'm tired." He muttered sleepily.  
  
"Well, if you hadn't stayed up half the night muttering about some girl, I think you would've gotten more sleep." Harry mumbled through a mouthful of toast. Hermione stared at Ron in surprise.  
  
"Oohh, who's the lucky girl Ron?" Hermione asked eagerly. Ron muttered something vaguely like, "Uh, duh nuh." Hermione scowled. Harry grinned awkwardly. Hermione turned to Harry in surprise.  
  
"What?" He asked, cringing slightly.  
  
"You know!" She shot eagerly. Harry scowled lightly, then laughed.  
  
"That's a secret between me, Ron, and the sky."  
  
"Well, humph! Hey, do you still like Cho?" She asked, hoping to catch her friend on a sensitive spot. Harry spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice. Ron started to snigger, and at the other end of the table, Ginny Weasley had turned the color of the Gryffindor flag.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Then who is it?"  
  
"For your information," Harry spat in furious embarrassment, "I'm dating Ginny!"  
  
"Oh! Harry, I'm so happy for you!" Hermione cried. Ron rolled his eyes.  
  
"When Harry came over this summer, Ginny had just like, blossomed or something, and Harry went google- eyed, and chased her down the first night, right after dinner, when they were alone, and he says to her, "Ginny, I loved you since my second year. Will you go out with me?" He asks, and Ginny just broke down. I think it was some weird quirk of destiny, but we caught them necking out in the back yard the next night."  
  
"On your second night?" Hermione asked incredulously. Harry nodded, smiling.  
  
"It was brilliant. Never felt this way in my life." He murmured happily.  
  
"Oh Harry! I'm so happy for you! You Potters must have a knack for attracting red heads eh?" She said cheerfully. Harry nodded.  
  
"Of course, Dad was boiling mad. Nearly strangled Harry." Ron said cheerfully. Fred and George Weasley, who were in their final year at Hogwarts, bounced up beside Ron.  
  
"Here's your time tables. And remember Harry, if Ginny ain't a virgin when we go home, you aren't coming back!" George said cheerfully.  
  
"Or that's what Dad said. Nice to see ya, Hermione. Did you hear the good news?" Fred asked, nodding towards Ginny, who scurried over to them, grinning. Harry pulled his chair further away from the table, and Ginny crawled securely into his lap. Ron snorted into his oatmeal.  
  
"What's gotten into you, Ron?" Hermione asked in surprise. Ginny laughed.  
  
"We have potions on Mondays! Lovely way to start the week, isn't it?" Ron snapped furiously. Harry grinned and tried to answer, but he was occupied with Ginny at the moment.  
  
"Hey, Romeo!" Fred said loudly. Harry pulled away, grinning from ear to ear. Ginny giggled.  
  
"Aww, you guys! Just let me finish, all right?" Harry asked, turning back to Ginny, but Fred and George were literally dragging a very mad Ginny back to her friends, who were muttering jealously. Ron sighed.  
  
"Great. We got Double Potions on Monday! As though one torture session ain't enough!." He muttered. Harry groaned.  
  
"Yeah, then it's transfiguration for the rest of the afternoon."  
  
"What? We have double transfiguration on the first day?" Ron asked. Harry nodded sadly.  
  
"That woman is gonna work our butts off, she will." He said. Hermione grinned.  
  
"Well, lets' get this over with." She said, and the trio started towards the dungeons.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Snape walked between the aisles of the students.  
  
"Now, I'm sure your heads have rotted over the summer running around with other boys and girls, so listen up. Just because you are going through a certain, ah, stage in your young lives, does not mean I'm going to put up with a class full of hormone-infested teenagers." Snape growled. The class glanced at each other. Draco Malfoy sniggered and muttered something to Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"Ten points from Slytherin, Malfoy. No snickering in class." Snape barked. Malfoy jumped and stared at Snape in shock.  
  
"But." He began. Snape sighed.  
  
"Fifteen points."  
  
"That's not fair!"  
  
"Twenty, now keep your mouth shut or it will be fifty." Snape replied coolly.  
  
Harry and Ron scowled at each other. If Snape took away points from Slytherin, surely he would gladly take away as much points from Gryffindor as he could. Hermione frowned. Snape, taking points away from Slytherin? It was very strange. Snape sat down, rubbing the area above his temples. His eyes lingered around Harry, then he looked directly at Hermione, and his face paled. Hermione felt the color drain from her face as they stared at each other. Ron glanced at Harry, his eyebrows raised. Harry shrugged in confusion. Snape trembled, his eyes wide in surprise. Then he got up and strode over to Hermione, peering into her cauldron.  
  
"Granger," His voice was tight with tension. "Stay after class. We need to discuss your work." The rest of potions passed uneventfully, not counting Neville managing to turn Harrys' hair blood red.  
  
"S, s, s sorry Harry!" Neville stammered, blushing. Snape scowled.  
  
"Longbottom! The potion is suppose to boost your energy, not turn Potters' hair red!" Neville's face paled.  
  
"I didn't mean to!' He cried.  
  
"Um, yeah, I think it's kinda neat." Harry said quickly.  
  
"Oh yes Potter. It's just beautiful." Snape growled, rolling his eyes. Harry blushed. "Ten points from Gryffindor. And don't let it happen again!" The class piled out, muttering about Snapes' bad attitude. Hermione approached Snapes' desk uncertainly. The man rubbed his head again.  
  
"Granger, while you were with Death Eaters, did you run into someone that shouldn't be around anymore?" Snape asked slowly. Hermione was taken aback. Did Snape suspect something? Did he know James was alive?  
  
"No, Professor Snape, nobody but Death Eaters." She replied quietly.  
  
"I don't believe you." He said simply. Hermione blinked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Encounter any person that you had feelings for?"  
  
"That's really quite personal, Professor Snape!" She cried. Snape sighed.  
  
"You may go, and when you feel like telling me the truth, just come down to my office."  
  
"Okay." She said breathlessly, and raced out the door. Hermione rounded a corner and raced after Ron and Harry. The two were sitting at the Great Hall, eating lunch. Harry sighed in frustration suddenly.  
  
"Hermione, you're keeping something from us! What is it?" He asked quietly. Hermione sighed.  
  
"It's nothing, really."  
  
"Tell us!"  
  
"Harry! I can't!" She gasped.  
  
"Why not?" Ron pressed. Hermione whimpered.  
  
"I can't!" She said again.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry said, his voice raised slightly. Just then an owl landed in front of her. Hermione untied it and read it. The handwriting was neat and elegant.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
I hate to bug you, but I have to tell you something. Could you come over to the womping willow on Friday night? I'd really appreciate it.  
  
Sincerely, James Potter  
  
Hermione grinned. She was really curious. What did James want? She thought he would forget about her after she got to Hogwarts. She folded the letter and put it in her bag.  
  
"Who is it from?" Ron asked.  
  
"None of your business."  
  
"Is it from Krum?"  
  
"Ron, me and Krum are over." Hermione scowled and took out a piece of paper. She wrote,  
  
Dear, I can't write your name as my friends are bending over my shoulders and reading this.  
  
Yeah, I can do that. It's fine. I'll see you then.  
  
From Hermione  
  
She tied it to the owl, and it took flight. Ron glared at her.  
  
"It's a boy, isn't it?" He demanded.  
  
"Ron, it's none of your buisness! Leave it, okay?" Hermione snarled. Ron muttered something and they walked towards the transfiguration classroom, ready to work their butts off.  
  
" You know," Harry said as they sat in their spots. "It's really not bugging me that much. I mean, why worry?"  
  
"Because, he could be a Death Eater that she's dating.!" Ron replied. Harry grinned.  
  
"Yeah, but it doesn't really matter, Ron. We're pretty safe right here at Hogwarts, right?"  
  
"Mr. Potter!" Harry looked up and blushed. Professor Mcgonagall was sitting at her desk, frowning. The students gave their full attention.  
  
"Now, we are going to study animagi this year more in depth. Can somebody tell me, what involves becoming an animagus?" Mcgonagall asked. Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?"  
  
"Of course, if you're going to be an animagus, you have to register, or you'll be an illegal one." Hermione stated.  
  
"Excellent. Anything else? Yes, Mr. Potter?" Mcgonagall asked, surprised that Harry was contributing. Harry grinned awkwardly.  
  
"You have to choose the animal that resembles you most, or it will be harder, say, if you picked an animal randomly, it would be harder. So you have to research and find what animal suites you most." He said slowly. Hermione stared at him in surprise.  
  
"Excellent. Very good indeed, Mr. Potter. I have no clue how you know that, as that was what we would be studying today, so ten points to Gryffindor." Mcgonagall replied in surprise. "Now, all of you pick up a book, and let's get to work." The three got a big book.  
  
"That was really good, Harry." Ron said, impressed. Harry shrugged.  
  
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Potter, do you know what that animal that suites you is called?" Mcgonagall asked. Harry nodded.  
  
"It's your Phenotype." He said with a grin. Mcgonagall nodded.  
  
"You have your fathers' talent and your mothers' intelligence." She said with a small smile. Harry shrugged again and the three set to work. Twenty minutes later Ron sighed.  
  
"Great. I'm a red fox." He muttered quietly. Hermione grinned.  
  
"I'm an eagle." She replied. Harry shook his head.  
  
"I'm an, ern, wow, I'm a mustang! A wild horse, cool." Harry murmured. Hermione nodded and read about her phenotype. It said,  
  
The Eagle. Magnificent, you know you are smart, yet you are unaware of your natural beauty. You were born to fly, why prefer to crawl through your life? You think of consequences before you take action.  
  
Harry peered at the page and read out loud,  
  
The mustang. Clever, powerful, and loyal, mind, only to those whom you deeply trust. You value friendship far more than you value yourself. You are defiant. Nobody tells you where to stand. You are a true leader.  
  
Ron grinned, and read under red fox,  
  
The Red Fox, you are sly, and you don't mind making other people sad if you can feel better. You know you are not that popular, but you wish people would notice you.  
  
"Hey, that sounds like you, Ron!" Harry murmured. Ron nodded. Hermione giggled.  
  
"I like that. Nobody tells you where to stand. That sounds a lot like you, Harry!" She replied.  
  
"Hmm, unaware of your natural beauty, eh?" Harry said cheerfully. Hermione shrugged.  
  
"Now that you have your phenotypes, you will study that animal. And in potions next Monday you will make a potion to pre- transform you into your animal." Mcgonagall said, and the class left. It had taken all afternoon for that class, and they were all tired.  
  
"Well, that wasn't very hard now, was it?" Ron muttered. Harry grinned.  
  
"Sure Ron, sure."  
  
  
  
End Of Chapter 


	8. Taken into Gentle Hands

Sorry for the long wait! This story will be Hiatus for a while, because I joined a club. Don't worry, it's only for two weeks, then I'll update more often, I promise. This story is actually getting a bit juicy, isn't it?  
  
  
  
Chapter #8  
  
September 6th, 3:00 P.M.  
  
"Harry, Ron! Pay attention!" Remus Lupins' voice broke Harry and Ron from their mock fistfight. Hermione giggled. It was Friday afternoon, and the trio was in high spirits, particularly after Peeves smacked Malfoy in the head yesterday. That and their all-time favorite professor was back. Lupin sighed. "You two are impossible." He muttered. "Now, would you please copy these notes on, ern, werewolves." Lupin said, shaking his head. Harry and Ron grinned. Lupin hardly ever got mad at anyone. And when he did, he didn't explode, he just gave them detention. Hermione rolled her eyes at Professor Lupin, who winked at her. It was common knowledge that Lupin hated writing. In fact, he usually had practical lessons.  
  
"You guys! Pay attention! We're taking O.W.Ls' this year!" Hermione hissed. The two scowled, but finished their fight and wrote down the notes.  
  
"Now, you have an essay on creatures with human aspects, to be handed in on Tuesday. Good day to you." Everyone except Ron, Harry, and Hermione left. The trio stayed behind to talk to their professor, as the day was over and they got the afternoon off.  
  
"So Dumbledore let you teach again?" Ron asked cheerfully. Lupin sighed.  
  
"He didn't exactly let me. Rather forced me." Lupin said quietly.  
  
"Well, if no one cares, at least you know we love you as a teacher!" Harry replied with a reassuring grin.  
  
"Thanks Harry. I really needed that." Lupin said, laughing. Harry smiled.  
  
"There's no such thing as too much laughter." He replied.  
  
"You are just too much like."  
  
"My father." Harry finished. Lupin nodded.  
  
"Well, see you later." Hermione said and the three left the room. Remus frowned. The only three people who had ever been that friendly to a "bloodthirsty brute" were Lily, Sirius, and James. Those three were completely the same as Harry Ron and Hermione.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione glanced at Harry. She should ask him now. While all three of them were cheerful.  
  
"Ern. Harry?"  
  
"Yeah?" Harry asked cheerfully.  
  
"I was wondering, tonight, could I, um, borrow your invisibility cloak?" Hermione asked, crossing her fingers.  
  
"Yeah, sure! Why?"  
  
"Something personal."  
  
"Go ahead." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Thanks." Harry glanced at her curiously, but shrugged it off.  
  
  
  
September 6th, 7:00 P.M.  
  
  
  
"There you are Mr. Potter. Now, I've spoken to all of the other quidditch players, and they have agreed on a captain." Harry spun around, coming face to face with Mcgonagall.  
  
"Oh, that's good. Who's the lucky one?" Harry asked cheerfully.  
  
"You."  
  
"WHAT?! No, no way! I'm not good enough!"  
  
"It's what the rest of the team wants. On Saturday night, which is, if you don't know your days of the week, tomorrow, we will choose a keeper and a chaser. Until then, keep in mind Mr. Potter, the captains position is open, and your team is counting on you." Harry glared at Mcgonagall, who frowned and left the room.  
  
"No." Harry moaned, sinking into his chair by the fire in the common room. Hermione looked down at him from her book. {Animagi of the Eighteenth Century}  
  
"I think it's very good that you will be the captain." She said with an encouraging smile.  
  
"There you go, Harry. You're the best seeker in the world." Ron stated.  
  
"Better than Krum?"  
  
"Yes!" Hermione cried immediately. Ron shook his head.  
  
"Anyone for chess?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"No!" Harry and Hermione said quickly.  
  
"Awww." Ron sighed.  
  
"Maybe we should do our homework?" Hermione suggested. Ron snorted.  
  
"We have all weekend Hermione!" He replied.  
  
"Yeah, but quidditch tryouts are tomorrow!"  
  
"Then what about Sunday night?"  
  
"We have potions the next day! I don't think you want to sleep in!" Ron grumbled and took out his essay. Harry sighed.  
  
"I'll go get the cloak." He said suddenly. Hermione looked up.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You told me you needed it."  
  
"Oh, crap! Ron, what time is it?" Hermione gasped. She had forgot all about James.  
  
"It's 7:00, why? Late for a date?" Hermione smacked him on the head and grabbed the cloak from Harry.  
  
"Thanks!" She called, running out of the common room. Ron shook his head.  
  
"Chess?"  
  
"Grrr, fine!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione raced across the grounds towards the womping willow. There was no one standing there. Hermione frowned. Was it some kind of joke? Yes, she was stupid to believe that he actually wanted to talk to her. She scowled and turned away, when someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream. The person pulled her into the womping willow. She started to sob. The person let go and she slapped the adult across the face.  
  
"Oww! Hermione, it's me! James!" Hermione stopped in surprise. A fire flickered on from a pile of sticks on the floor. James Potters' face was illuminated by the strange eerie glow. His lip was bleeding slightly.  
  
"Oh, James! I'm so sorry!" Hermione gasped. James shook his head. "You wanted to tell me something?" James nodded, smiling. He reached over and cupped her face in his hand. Hermione trembled as he drew her body towards his and enveloped her in a passionate kiss. Hermione tried to pull away, but James was gentle and persistent, and Hermione gradually melted into his arms, and the world around her was forgotten. She felt his tongue, exploring every corner of her mouth. She could taste the blood from his lip. James slid his arm down around her waist. Hermione reached up, which to her meant stretching her whole arm out, and brushed his hair out of his eyes, and the two finally pulled away, gasping for breath.  
  
"What on earth?" Hermione whispered. James smiled.  
  
"That's what I wanted to tell you." He murmured quietly.  
  
"But James! I don't, I mean, what are you trying to tell me?"  
  
"I." He paused, then smiled confidently. "l love you, Hermione Granger." He murmured softly. Hermione blinked in surprise. This had to be a joke. Yes, it was some kind of sick joke.  
  
"You're joking." She whispered.  
  
"No," James murmured. "I love you. I don't understand why, but I know I love you." Hermione looked up into his eyes, and her lips touched his once again. And she knew he wasn't lying. It was so sweet, this moment. She wanted to preserve that taste in her mouth forever. Except for the blood, his mouth tasted, strangely, like peppermints. James pulled away, smiling. Hermione started to grin, and he pulled her into his arms, his hand running down her neck to her breast. She trembled again. James withdrew his hand quickly.  
  
"Are you scared?" He whispered. Hermione sighed.  
  
"No." She replied, then "Yes. Very scared."  
  
Fair Warning. NC- 17 rating. You don't have to read this part. It isn't that graphic, though. To tell you the truth, I think it's rather sweet.  
  
"Don't be. I know this is all new to you, but." He paused. "I'll go slowly if you want." {A/N: You can skip the love making if you want. Although it is very sweet.} Hermione nodded, and felt him slowly taking her clothes off. First her school robes, then her shirt, until she was wearing just her sports bra. Hermione shivered in the cold. James waved his wand and a mattress appeared on the ground. He pulled Hermione slowly onto it. Hermione pulled away uncertainly. James smiled at her reassuringly. He reached over and took her bra off. Hermione was clad in nothing. James quietly undressed himself, and gradually Hermione got used to lying beside him and seeing him clad in nothing at all. At 9:00 the two finally built up the courage, and Hermione lost her virginity. {A/N: See, that wasn't so bad, was it?}  
  
OKAY! STORY IS ONCE AGAIN RATED R. YOU CAN READ IT SAFELY NOW. Still kinda adult-like, though.  
  
James' eyes fluttered open, and he looked down. Beside him, curled up in his arms, was Hermione.  
  
"Shit." He muttered. It was a good thing it was Saturday. Hermione woke up and looked at him.  
  
"That was, really." She murmured. "Enjoyable." James grinned.  
  
"You know, not every girl is lucky enough to get it took so gently." He said slowly. "You like sex?"  
  
"Well, I guess. It kinda hurt at first but it just got me all excited. I don't understand." She said after a while. James smiled. The two kissed again.  
  
"Bit much on the first night, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. Oh no! Ron and Harry! They're gonna be so worried and mad, and Ron is going to be so jealous." She gasped. James frowned.  
  
"Hmm, maybe you can say you fell asleep in the library?" He suggested uncertainly. Hermione nodded, a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"This is bad."  
  
"Very bad." The two glanced at each other. It suddenly struck Hermione about what just happened. She had sex with her best friends' father. Hermione made a brave attempt at conversation.  
  
"You know, I found out on Monday that if I became an animagus, I would be an eagle." She said abruptly. James looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Really? Hey, do you want to be an animagus?" He asked, his eyes sparkling mischievously.  
  
"Yeah! Why, could you teach me?" Hermione asked eagerly.  
  
"Sure! It can't be that hard."  
  
"But it took you and Sirius and the rat a long time to figure things out." Hermione said slowly.  
  
"Yeah, but now I know what I'm doing. Before I had to study and read up and all that. And we had to find our Phenotypes all by ourselves." James said with a shrug.  
  
"Okay! Tell you what, I'll come back, say."  
  
"How about Saturdays and um, Wednesdays? At 9:00?"  
  
"Sure!" Hermione grinned as James listed a few books she should read.  
  
"Trust me, this one will help." James said. "Only problem is, it's in the restricted section."  
  
"Yeah, but I got your invisibility cloak!" Hermione replied.  
  
"Wow!" James grabbed his cloak, his eyes shining. "My cloak." He looked over at Hermione, who grinned weakly. She departed with a kiss.  
  
"I love you James!" She cried, clambering up and out of the tree, wrapped in Harrys' cloak. She took it off as she approached the Great Hall. When she walked towards the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron, were standing, glaring at her.  
  
"You guys," She began, "I'm really sorry I'm late."  
  
END OF CHAPTER with major cliffie. 


	9. What a Good Friend Will Go Through

{Grumbles reluctantly} Here's a chapter. I'm not too pleased with my life at the moment. Stupid grade seven. Stupid teacher. We have alternate teachers, and one is better than the other. Anyway, I just got another major idea to juice the story up a bit. Oh yeah, you'd never guess what happened! I got in trouble! I was caught reading Fanfiction on the school computers! And I'm starting chapter 15 today. Heh, heh, heh.  
  
  
  
Chapter #9  
  
  
  
"Where have you been?" Ron asked angrily. Harry stared at her.  
  
"Please." Hermione said slowly. "I can explain." Harry sighed suddenly.  
  
"Ron." He muttered. "Just leave it, alright?" Hermione stared at him in shock.  
  
"But Harry! She wasn't here all night! We stayed up half the bloody night waiting for you to come back, and all you can say is."  
  
"Ron!" Harry interrupted suddenly. "Sod off!" Ron glared at Harry. Harry raised his hand, stemming Rons' complaints. Ron sighed, irritated, and stomped off. Hermione turned to Harry.  
  
"You didn't have to do that." She said quietly. To her surprise, Harry grinned mischievously. "What?" She asked.  
  
"I got you all figured out." Harry said triumphantly.  
  
"What?" Hermione demanded.  
  
"Okay. First you get this letter, asking you to go somewhere. Then, you want to use my cloak for "something personal." Next thing you know, Hermione Granger doesn't show up all night!"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I got you."  
  
"What?" Hermione glared at him.  
  
"You got a boyfriend!" Harry said triumphantly. Hermione opened her mouth, then sighed.  
  
"Okay." She said, throwing her hands up in defeat. "You caught me in the act. I have a guy that I really like." She waited for him to ask who it was.  
  
"Well, I'm not going to prod at you." He said, turning to his breakfast. Hermione blinked in surprise.  
  
"You aren't?"  
  
"It's something "personal," right?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded, feeling dazed. Harry was really sensitive when it came to "personal" things. "Anyway, I'll find out sooner or later." He added mischievously. Hermione swatted him playfully.  
  
"Hey, I gotta go to the library. But I need you to cover up for me, okay?" She said suddenly.  
  
"What do you want me to do, you highness?" Harry asked in defeat. Hermione grinned at him.  
  
"Just distract Madam Pince, okay?"  
  
"Got ya."  
  
"I need your cloak too, okay?" Hermione waited for Harry to blow. To her surprise, he shrugged.  
  
"I give up." Harry muttered, handing her his cloak from under the table. Hermione grinned broadly.  
  
"Oh, Harry! You don't know how much this means to me! I'm so glad I have such a good friend like you!" She exclaimed, hugging him tightly.  
  
"You use me." He replied. Hermione nearly fell off of her chair from laughing.  
  
"Oh come on! I don't mean to!" She said cheerfully. Harry pretended to pout, his eyes going round and brimming with fake sadness. Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully.  
  
"Ouch! Never thought I would say this, but lets go to the library." Harry jumped up and walked towards the marble staircase. Hermione shoved the cloak into her pocket and ran after him.  
  
"Okay, I'll put the cloak on and you distract her. Got it?"  
  
"Sure!" Harry watched as Hermione disappeared. The two slipped into the library. Harry cast his mind about, thinking about some kind of diversion he could cause. He walked uncertainly up to Madam Pince.  
  
"What do you want, Mr. Potter?" She asked, irritated.  
  
"Madam Pince, I would appreciate it if you could help me find a book based on Godric Gryffindor." Harry said, making up his story. Madam Pince sighed and got up. Harry followed her to a row of old-looking books. She pointed to a group of books. Harry flashed her a grateful look, and took down one of the books, wondering if Hermione had enough time. When she wasn't looking, he knocked down a shelf.  
  
"What on earth?" She cried, spinning around.  
  
"Owww!" Harry cried as a book fell on his head. The next thing he knew, the whole bookcase came tumbling down. And Harry was stuck in the middle of it all.  
  
  
  
Hermione watched with an amused and slightly worried expression on her face. The book was tucked carefully in her bag, and she raced out of the library, took her, or rather, Harrys' invisibility cloak off, and walked slowly into the library.  
  
"Oh no! The books!" Hermione cried, running forward in a mixed state of fake shock and amusement. Madam Pince stared at her, then turned to Harry.  
  
"Fool!" She snapped. Harry shook the books off, and suddenly vomited on Madam Pince. She shrieked in outrage. "Get him out!" She screamed. Hermione hastily pointed her wand at Harry and performed a floating charm. Harry rose eerily up, and when she walked out, he drifted strangely behind her. When she finally got to the hospital wing, feeling guilty as hell, he had passed out.  
  
"Good Lord, what did he get into this time?" Madam Pomfrey demanded, but she didn't wait for an answer. Hermione watched as she placed Harry on a bed and slid some covers over him. She busied herself about at the medicine cabinet. "Drat, I've run out of an energy boosting potion. Never mind, Snape has some. Why don't you keep poor Mr. Malfoy over there some company? He hasn't had one visitor." She stomped out of the room. Hermione looked over on the other bed beside Harry. A boy with silver- blonde hair was laying there, his chest rising up and down. Not sure if she wanted to deal with a cranky beat-up Malfoy, she backed away. Draco jolted awake.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked bitterly. Hermione sighed. Same old Draco.  
  
"I'm here because Harry is." She replied. "Now why are you here?"  
  
"Non of your business. What happened to Potter?" He asked smirking.  
  
"Non of your business." Hermione replied matter-of-factly. Draco shrugged and glared at her.  
  
"Urgh." Harry stirred slightly.  
  
"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked hurriedly.  
  
"Yeah." He mumbled weakly. Madam Pomfrey came back in.  
  
"Now take this, Mr. Potter. And in ten minutes you can leave." Madam Pomfrey replied, and walked away as Harry gulped down the potion she had given him. Draco smirked at him.  
  
"What the hell are you looking at Malfoy?" Harry snapped bitterly. Draco shrugged and turned away.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, kindly explain to me what really happened, because you don't get puncture wounds from fist fights." {A/N: This part will make you grin, I'm sure of it.} Madam Pomfrey glared at Malfoy suspiciously.  
  
"Fine, the truth is, I was walking along near the forbidden forest, with Crabbe and Goyle. Well, I made some wisecrack about Granger over there and this big deer came charging at me, and it got me right here." Draco lifted his shirt up and Hermione gasped. It really was a puncture wound.  
  
"That is the whole truth?" Madam Pomfrey asked suspiciously. Draco nodded. "A big stag charged at you?"  
  
"Yeah. And his eyes were blue!"  
  
"What kind of deer was it?" Madam Pomfrey looked quite suspicious.  
  
"Red deer." Draco said confidently. Hermione grinned. Prongs you nasty little boyr! She thought in amusement. Harry got up suddenly.  
  
"Come on Hermione, let's go to the common room." He suggested, and the two walked out, Madam Pomfrey glaring at Harry in disapproval.  
  
"You think Malfoy actually got attacked by a deer?" Harry asked suddenly.  
  
"Well, deer are known to be territorial, and protective." Hermione said with a shrug.  
  
"I think he really was hallucinating." Harry replied, and they clambered into the common room. It was 4:00 p.m. on September 7th. 


	10. CHAPTER 10! Yay me!

Hmmm, don't forget to review, and thanks if you did. You know, these fucking italics just don't work? Oh well. And I think this might go on HIATUS for a while, but I'm not sure. I think this chapter is kinda boring, but its main focus is quidditch, okay? Good.  
  
  
  
Chapter #10  
  
  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the quidditch pitch. Ron was still mad, and Harry was still rather angry about the whole bookcase incident. Hermione smiled.  
  
"I think I might try out for quidditch." She said thoughtfully. Ron snorted.  
  
"What position?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"Chaser. Because Angelina is gone this year." Hermione said with a shrug. Harrys' face brightened suddenly.  
  
"Hey Ron, you could try out for keeper!" He said excitedly.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's' all the team needs is another Weasley." Fred and George pulled up beside them, grinning. Harry shook his head.  
  
"One of you guys should be captain. Man, I can't believe you two think I'm good enough to be captain! I'm only a fifth year!" He muttered.  
  
"Oliver was a fifth year when you started playing, and he was a really good captain." Fred replied. "Remember?"  
  
"Exactly! Wood is an excellent quidditch player! Far better than me!" Harry said stubbornly. Hermione sighed.  
  
"You should be captain, Harry." Suddenly an idea sprang to her mind. "Gosh, I bet your father would be awfully proud of you." She said carefully. Harry stared at her, then grinned weakly.  
  
"Alright, but I'm gonna work you guys harder than Wood ever did! C'mon, lets go!" Harry walked over to Madam Hooch and Mcgonagall.  
  
"Have you made up your mind, Mr. Potter?" Mcgonagall asked.  
  
"Sure. I'll be captain. I guess my dad would want me to be."  
  
  
  
Prongs watched, his heart swelling with pride as a small black haired boy moved away from the others. Mcgonagall reached down and pinned a badge on his sons' shirt and Prongs smiled. He would have to thank Hermione later. Just then she looked up and spotted him. The two shared an affectionate look before Hermione returned to quidditch tryouts.  
  
"Okay. Miss Granger, you'll be trying out for chaser, right?" Hermione nodded. Mcgonagall smiled. "That's good. Now, first we'll get ourselves a new keeper, so let's start with Colin Creevey." Colin ran forward, flashing Harry a grin. Harry sighed, annoyed. Colin was practically his shadow, and as Ron had pointed out, Creevey was Harrys' most devoted fan, though that didn't cheer Harry up much. Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet flew up with Colin, the quaffle in their hands. They tried as many moves as they could think of, and 7 out of 10 of the shots got in the hoop. Colin flew down, disappointed. The keeper practice carried on in the same manner. When Rons' turn came, he managed to block eight of them, and he only missed when the two chasers pulled off two of their hardest moves. Seamus Finnigan did pretty well too. He blocked 6 out of 10 goals. Then the chaser practice began. Dean Thomas got 2 past Ron, Lavender Brown got 3, and Hermione got all of them past Ron, who blushed deeply. Harry cheered her as she landed. Some more people tried out and by 7:00 the tryouts were over.  
  
"Alright, Mr. Potter. Now, you being the captain, I want you to choose which people should be on the team." Mcgonagall said quietly. Harry looked at the tryout results.  
  
"Well," He said slowly, "for keeper, Seamus was really fast, but he had a better broomstick, and that seventh year didn't have very good reflexes even though he was fast, but he had a good broom, so that doesn't count.." Harry said slowly. "Ron was probably the one with the best reactions, and that's really important with Ravenclaw, because they can move pretty quick. Same with Slytherin." Harry tried to choose the best person.  
  
"Mr. Potter, try to choose quickly, alright?" Madam Hooch said irritably. Harry sighed.  
  
"Oh, Ron, I guess. But Seamus was good."  
  
"Mr. Potter!"  
  
"Alright! Ron can be the new keeper. And Hermione can be the new chaser, no competition there." Harry muttered. Mcgonagall smiled.  
  
"Now, It's your responsibility to set the training schedule with the other quidditch captains. They are Cho Chang, Justin Finch- Fletchly, and Draco Malfoy." Harry groaned when she said Draco. He nodded bitterly and walked back to the castle with Ron and Hermione. When they got in the common room, Fred grabbed Harry and drug him into a corner.  
  
"Listen," He whispered. "You got to tell the whole house that you're captain, and that there's a new team. They're raving mad and they got this strange idea from Malfoy that Gryffindor isn't going to play." Fred said urgently. Harry glanced at the students. They were all jittering and they looked furious. He sighed.  
  
"Alright, Fred, here it goes." Harry leapt lightly onto one of the tables so his head was above everyone else. "Listen up, you guys!" He yelled. Everyone looked up at him. "There will be a team for our house! The new team was picked! Fred and George are still Beaters, Katie and Alicia are two of the chasers, and the new chaser is Hermione, and the new keeper is Ron!" The whole room erupted into cheers.  
  
"Who is the captain?" Neville asked in confusion. Harry sighed.  
  
"I'm the captain. And if you're gonna complain, it was their idea!" Harry replied, pointing at the Weasley twins, who grinned. But the Gryffindors seemed ecstatic that Harry was the captain, and they burst into raucous cheering. Harry shook his head and got down from the table. Fred pretended to sob.  
  
"It's so dramatic!" He cried. Harry elbowed him in the side and turned to Hermione.  
  
"You are a natural, you know." Harry said.  
  
I'm hungry. What time is it, Harry? Maybe we can get to the kitchens." Ron murmured sleepily.  
  
"9:00." Harry replied.  
  
"Nine! Oh crap, I'm gonna be late! Harry can I use your cloak?" Hermione asked urgently, and Harry fetched it from his dorm and handed it to her. Grabbing her bag, she flashed them an apologetic smile as she ran from the common room, her head whirring in a dizzy circle. What would James say when she was ten minutes late? She slipped the cloak on and charged out onto the grounds, looking around. She spotted the stag then, on a small hill near the lake. She ran up beside him and tapped him. The stag snorted and looked around in confusion. Hermione let the cloak slip off momentarily, and the stag relaxed as he saw her. Prongs bent down, allowing her to slip onto his back. He trotted gracefully into the forest. Hermione looked around and took the cloak off. They were deep into the forest now, and Hermione recognized nothing. He walked into a small clearing, and Hermione was surprised to see a tall chestnut stallion standing there peacefully. His head shot up when James transformed and whistled softly. The stallion trotted up to him and nuzzled him affectionately.  
  
"Hey Flame, old buddy. Okay Hermione, did you get that book?" James asked quickly. Hermione grinned.  
  
"With some help from your son, yeah. The only thing is Harry landed in the hospital wing after. It was really quite funny." She replied with a laugh.  
  
"Hmm, maybe I'm better off not knowing what happened." James murmured. Hermione laughed.  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"So, lets get started, shall we?" James asked with an eager smile. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Yes, Professor Potter." She said in mock salute. James laughed as she reached into her bag and pulled out the leather-covered book. The two sat down, and to Hermiones' shock, Flame lay down beside James.  
  
"Is he like your lap horse or something?" Hermione asked incredulously, as Flame stretched his neck and rested his small, pretty head in James' lap.  
  
"Yeah." James answered. "Literally. He's my assistant in teaching." Hermione giggled and opened the book. She gasped when she saw what was on the inside cover.  
  
Signed by the stag, the rat, and the dog.  
  
"Um, does that mean Prongs Wormtail, and Padfoot?" Hermione asked. James nodded.  
  
"Sure does. We were gonna write, Signed by the smartest students of all time, but Sirius kindly pointed out that Peter was not smart." He replied, sliding his arm around her waist. Hermione glanced up at James and he pulled her into a bruising kiss. It lasted for a minute, and after a while Hermione pulled away, though James refused to remove his arm from Hermiones' waist. James started to explain the basic principles of becoming an animagus, and Hermione listened carefully. They studied past 12:00, both of them losing track of time. Hermione was delighted that James was a good study partner. He was smart too, and he listened when she talked, and talked when she was listening, and by the end of the night {around two in the morning} Hermione could turn her eyes the bright amber color of eagle eyes, much to her surprise. After they finished, Hermione was panting and sweating from the effort. James smiled and took off her robes and shirt. Hermione looked up at him, knowing what he was asking for. And Hermione fell asleep in her boyfriends', no, James wasn't her boyfriend, he was her lover. She fell asleep in her lovers' arms.  
  
END OF CHAPTER  
  
Ta da! This wretched computer deleted my story just when it was almost finished! Blast! Don't forget to review. 


	11. Snape Is Suspicious

Bit short. Oh well.  
  
Chapter #11  
  
  
  
"Shit!" James muttered as he looked down. Hermione was asleep in his lap. She moaned and shifted slightly, a sigh escaping her mouth. Now what am I supposed to do? He thought wildly. It was bad enough that she was asleep with him, but worse was the fact that they were in the forbidden forest and it was out of bounds for all students. Not that it mattered to him, he was all too happy to break rules. Good thing it was Saturday night. James sighed. This just had to stop. If she slept with him every night, not that he would mind that, but she would be tired for school, her marks would start to go down, and her friends would get suspicious. That and if she was caught she would be embarrassed. Sleeping with her best friends' father! James felt a pang of longing for his son. He wanted to see Harry, and know that the boy was all right.  
  
"James? Oh my God, we did it again!" Hermione squealed as she woke up and noticed she was lying with James again.  
  
"Yeah. I can see this turning into a habit." James joked with a grin. Hermione sighed.  
  
"Oh, Ron is gonna be mad at me again!" She muttered in horror.  
  
"Well, I was awfully warm last night. What about you?" James asked. Hermione looked up at him, realizing with a jolt that he was looking very attractive with his hair all over the place as usual, his glasses askew, and his clothes lying beside him. He was clad only in boxers.  
  
"Yeah, that was one thing good about it. Hey, do you remember having nightmares about your friends the first few times you tried to transform?" Hermione asked. She had had a rather frightening dream where James was with her, kissing her, and suddenly he was gone, and Ron was there, laughing cruelly about something. He had been raping her.  
  
"Um." James squinted as he tried to remember.  
  
"Oohh, grab a camera." Hermione giggled. "He's trying to think!"  
  
"That is NOT funny!" James grumbled. "No, I don't recall any bad dreams, and for your information, I actually have a brain, though you'd think that unforgivable curse would have fried my brain cells." He added. Hermione looked up at him in surprise. It was the first time he actually talked about getting hit by the killing curse. Hermione didn't blame him. James looked at her.  
  
" Hey James, I got a question. Harry has this picture of you surfing. Do you like those kind of things? Snowboards and skateboards and motor bikes? Fancy cars and surfboards?" Hermione asked in surprise.  
  
"Hell yeah!" James answered quickly. Hermione grinned.  
  
"I like them too, but I only like watching them. I don't ever want to try something like that." She answered thoughtfully.  
  
"Why not?" James asked incredulously. Hermione stared at him.  
  
"Definitely not! That's just a step closer to suicide!"  
  
"Is not!"  
  
"You would kill yourself!"  
  
"Been doing it for twenty-five years." James answered, stretching his legs out. Hermione shook her head in disbelief.  
  
"You're crazy."  
  
"Oh yeah?" James raised an eyebrow at her. "And you aren't?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Whatever. You're just as crazy as me!"  
  
"I'm going to be late for school."  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"What?" Hermione glared at him.  
  
"It's Sunday. You don't have school. It's still the weekend." James replied, sniggering at her.  
  
"Well, I need some breakfast. Goodbye!" Hermione got to her feet. James shook his head.  
  
"You're just gonna leave?" He watched as she stomped off. "You're welcome!"  
  
"Why should I thank you?" James got up and ran to her. He grabbed her by the shoulder and wheeled her around, his eyes ablaze with a fiery look.  
  
"For helping you, Hermione." He seemed to have calmed down a bit. Hermione sighed.  
  
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking. Thank you so much." She threw her arms around him. James laughed suddenly.  
  
"That's alright. Hmm, I'm pretty hungry myself!" He exclaimed. Hermione laughed.  
  
"I got an idea! You can wear the cloak to the kitchens! I know a house-elf down there that would gladly give you food." She replied quickly. James nodded and picked his cloak up off of the ground. He flashed her a grin.  
  
"Haven't worn this thing in years!" He said thoughtfully as he slipped it on. Hermione watched as he disappeared. She sighed and picked her way through the forest for thirty minutes until she could see the castle. James smiled and followed her there. The two walked up the steps and into the Great Hall.  
  
"There you are!" Hermione came face to face with Severus Snape. She gulped nervously.  
  
"Please Professor, I'm hungry!" She tried to walk around him, but he wouldn't let her.  
  
"Where were you last night?" Snape demanded.  
  
"That's none of your business, Professor!" Hermione stuttered. Snape rolled his eyes.  
  
"I have every right to know what you were doing last night in the forest!" Snape hissed. Hermione jerked away from him, and then James spoke to her in a low, barely audible voice.  
  
"I'm going to the kitchens. See ya." And then she was alone. Well, not really. The little company Snape provided was enough. Hermione glanced back towards the entrance hall and then up at Snape. Did he know what was going on? She sighed.  
  
"Please Sir, I'm not hiding anything." She stated, trying to push past him, but he grabbed her by the arm as she walked by.  
  
"Lying makes it worse, Hermione." He snarled, then Dumbledore was there, gently prodding at Snapes' fingers until he had to release his grip on Hermiones' shoulder. Snape glared at Dumbledore and stomped away bitterly.  
  
"So, Are you ready to tell me the truth, and nothing but?" Dumbledore asked. Hermione looked up and sighed. She could hardly bare the stress of this relationship. If that was what you wanted to call it.  
  
END OF CHAPTER 


	12. Deerprints In The Cemetary

Chapter # 12  
  
September 8th, 9:30 A.M.  
  
Hermione sat nervously wringing her hands in the headmasters' office. How did Snape know she was in the forest? There was no way to tell where one was at Hogwarts. Well, there was the map, but. Hermione let out a little gasp. The map! Oh, if someone got a hold of that thing, James would be caught, and she might even get in trouble for not telling anyone!  
  
"Well, good morning, Ms. Granger." Hermione looked up at Dumbledore. He looked quite amused.  
  
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore." She stuttered. He smiled.  
  
"I believe you have something to tell me?" Dumbledore was shuffling through papers while he asked her.  
  
"No, sir. I don't." Hermione answered slowly. Dumbledore looked up.  
  
"You seem very resentful to tell me what is going on, Hermione." He said quietly.  
  
"It's something."  
  
"Ms. Granger, it's perfectly understandable to want to keep some things secret. However, there are many things that should not be kept secret." The old headmaster replied. Hermione shrugged.  
  
"It's something personal, Professor Dumbledore, and I don't want to talk about it." Hermione said as politely as possible. Dumbledore shook his head.  
  
"You are smart enough to know that there are many ways in the wizarding world to get one to tell the truth." He said solemnly. Hermione stared at him in defiance.  
  
"I'm not telling." She said simply. Dumbledore sighed in frustration. This was a lot harder than he thought. Not even Harry would keep such an important secret, if it was even very important. According to Severus, someone was in the forbidden forest. Maybe it was a death eater? Possibly. But Hermione wouldn't be seeing a death eater, would she? Easy answer. No way, Hermione had more brains than that!  
  
"Are you seeing someone?" He asked finally. Hermione shook her head stubbornly.  
  
"I'm not telling." She repeated. There were no tears in her eyes this time, though she did look slightly upset. At that moment Harry burst into the office, panting. Dumbledore and Hermione looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Professor, I would appreciate it if you didn't meddle in the affairs of me and my. ern, girlfriend." Harry stated quickly. Hermione stared at him in shock. Dumbledore blinked in surprise.  
  
"Your girlfriend?" He asked slowly.  
  
"Yes. Me and Hermione have been going out since the start of the school year." Harry replied quickly. Dumbledore shook his head in amazement.  
  
"Well, I'm very sorry, Harry. I didn't know you and Hermione were going out. You two may leave, but stay out of trouble, okay?" He replied quickly. Hermione nodded silently. Harry took Hermione by the hand and led her out of Dumbledores' office. Hermione glanced at Harry in surprise.  
  
"Why did you do that?" She asked.  
  
"To get you out of troubled. Look, breakfast is over, so we better get some food from the kitchens. I'm sure Dobby won't mind, considering the fact that I haven't seen him yet." Harry said thoughtfully, and the two walked towards the kitchens, Hermione feeling as though the whole world was against her. Without even realizing it, Harry had put another load of stress onto Hermiones' already sagging shoulders.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Dumbledore sighed when Hermione had left the office. Just then, Ginny Weasley burst into the office.  
  
"Professor!" She sputtered. Ron raced right in after her and handed Dumbledore the Daily Prophet. It said,  
  
GRAVEYARD TERRORIZED, ONE BODY MISSING!  
  
In Godric Hollow cemetery, a whole section of the crypt has been blown into pieces by what is presumed to be a death eater attack. Ministry's' aurors say, "We have no clue who did it, but whoever did it meant to let the wizarding world know that they would go to any lengths to prove their point. A single body is missing, identified as James Malcolm Potter, the father of Harry Potter. It's strange though. Who in their right mind would take one single body and leave the rest of the graveyard untouched?" Friends of James Potter say they are utterly disgusted. Mad-eye-Moody quoted. "They just can't leave that family alone, can they? It makes me sick to think about what little Harrys' reaction will be when he finds out." Moody says it is plainly an act of terrorism.  
  
Professor Dumbledore shook his head in disgust.  
  
"What do you think Harry will say to that?" Ron asked. "Oh yeah, Professor, have you seen Hermione?" Dumbledore sighed in frustration. The two Weasleys backed up uncertainly. The last thing they wanted to do was to be around when Dumbledore blew it.  
  
"Hermione was just here. I'm guessing she went to the kitchens. Even though that is out of bounds to all students." He replied quietly.  
  
"Oh, have you seen Harry?" Ginny asked anxiously. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Yes. Harry went with Hermione. Why?"  
  
"Well, you see, me and Harry were down at the lake last night, you know, because we're going out, and he tripped and sprained his ankle. I was just wondering if he was okay. He said he was going to see Madam Pomfrey." Ginny said with a shrug.  
  
"You're going out with Harry? That can't be right. Harry was with Hermione last night." Dumbledore said slowly. Ginny blinked.  
  
"That's impossible! Harry and Ginny, they slept together last night!" Ron burst out suddenly. "I know because they were in Harrys' bed, and their moans were kinda audible. Everyone slept in the common room." He added with a snigger.  
  
"Ron!" Ginny cried, kicking him in the ankle.  
  
"It's the hard truth." Ron replied, shrugging. Dumbledore sighed.  
  
"Yet another rule broken. But I guess that's why they're here, to be broken." He said with a smile.  
  
"Who said Harry was with Hermione last night?" Ginny asked curiously.  
  
"That's what Harry told me. Strange." Dumbledore answered slowly. Ginny sighed.  
  
"See you later Ron. I've gotta go get that nasty boyfriend of mine. See what he's up to." She stated, walking out of the office. Ron sighed.  
  
"I really pity Harry, having to put up with her. Then again, who's gonna put up with Harry?" He muttered. "See you Professor." With that he raced out the door. Dumbledore shook his head and picked up the paper. Something caught his eye in the picture of the blown up coffin of James Potter. Hoofprints. The kind made by a deer. It looked like some deer had climbed right out of the coffin and trotted away. The ministry wouldn't suspect anything, of course, but Dumbledore sure did. Deerprints. Strange. How very strange.  
  
END OF CHAPTER 


	13. Eeep! Run Snape Run!

Wow, that was a fast update. Heh, Run Snape run. I think this story is actually getting somewhere. It should pick up around chapter 18, though.  
  
Chapter # 13  
  
Sunday, September 8th- 9:00 A.M  
  
Severus Snape walked uncertainly along the empty cavern. It was one of the many caverns yet to be explored. The series of caves and shafts down here at the bottom of Hogwarts lake twisted and turned along. Nobody except Severus and James Potter, along with his friends, knew about this place. Severus shuddered to think that the last people that had walked so calmly across this same ground were the founders themselves, for even the marauders had been royally freaked out down here. He came to a halt in front of a glowing blood-red stone, lying on the ground. It was attached to a golden chain. He gulped nervously. Godric Gryffindors' old pendant. The one he wore when the dark armies attacked Hogwarts. He picked the pendant up carefully and examined it. Already Severus could feel the heat coming off of the stone, burning his hand. And he blinked in shock at the ancient message that was appearing before his eyes.  
  
LASCIATI AGNI SPERANZA VOI CHENTRETRI  
  
Strange. How very strange. Where had he seen those words before? A sudden scream of anger made Severus jump and spun around, his eyes darting back and forth. He gasped as a faint golden light started to get closer and closer. The tapping of talons on the cavern ground, and the familiar rush of air that could mean only one thing. Gryffins. In full flight.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry and Hermione slid into the kitchens, Hermione crossing her fingers that James wasn't there. A voice called out suddenly.  
  
"Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Hello, Harry Potter, sir. Does Harry want something from Dobby, sir?" A houself squealed excitedly. Harry grinned.  
  
"Hey, Dobby! Can you by any chance get Hermione here something to eat?" He asked, glancing at Hermione.  
  
"Of course, Sir! Dobby would love to help Harry Potters' friend, Sir!" Dobby turned to Hermione. "You are the one who likes Winky, right miss?" He added slowly. Hermione nodded quickly.  
  
"Is she alright?" She asked. Harry grinned. Good old Hermione, always worrying about nothing.  
  
"Yes, Miss, Winky is fine now! Harry Potter, sir, Winky wants to apologize to you, for not telling you about Crouch and Moody, Sir!" Dobby said quickly.  
  
"Tell you what." Harry said slowly. "I'm gonna go see Winky, and you can get Hermione something to eat, alright Dobby?"  
  
"Of course Sir!" Dobby cried immediately, and then Hermione was sitting with a bowl of oatmeal, fried eggs, and bacon on a plate in her lap.  
  
"Dobby, has anyone else been down here this morning?" Hermione asked anxiously. Dobby nodded.  
  
"A tall man, Miss! He says to Dobby, "I would like some food!" That's what he says to Dobby! And Dobby gave him food, just like he ordered, and he ate it and he gave me two galleons!" Dobby dug in a pocket of his strange garments and pulled out two galleons.  
  
"He left?" Hermione asked quickly. Dobby nodded.  
  
"It was James Potter! Dobby is sure it was! Dobby has seen old Master Potter many times when Dobby worked at the Malfoys!" The houself cried.  
  
"Dobby, promise me you won't tell anyone about him, okay?" Hermione asked anxiously. Dobby gulped and nodded.  
  
"Of course, miss! Let's go see Winky!"  
  
"Good!" Hermione watched as Dobby trotted into the room where Winky was. She was surprised to find Harry cradling the crying houself in his arms. Like James, Harry was very compassionate. Shame he wouldn't admit it. The two slid into seats and Dobby flashed Hermione a knowing smile.  
  
"Winky now likes Harry Potter a lot, Miss. She says to Dobby that she never meant to hurt poor Harry Potter. Now Winky is guilty, Miss and woe on Dobby because house-elves shouldn't be paid money, but Miss, House-elves shouldn't be regretful. They should never regret." The house-elf whispered to Hermione. She shook her head in amusement. Dobby really did talk funny sometimes.  
  
"Hey Hermione, if you don't mind me asking, where were you last night?" Harry asked cheerfully. Winky sniffed quietly.  
  
"Well, I don't mind you asking Harry, but I'm certainly not going to answer." Hermione replied with a shrug. Harry sighed and turned away. Surely there had to be a way for him to find out whom she was seeing. Suddenly it hit him. The map. His fathers' map! All he had to do was glance at it when Hermione was gone, and he could figure out whom she was seeing! The plan was so simple and obvious Harry was surprised that he hadn't thought of it before. Hermione glanced at Harry.  
  
"Are you okay, Harry? You look a million miles away!" She exclaimed. Harry looked up and grinned.  
  
"I'm okay."  
  
"You sure?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Quite sure, yes."  
  
"Alright, if you say so. She turned back to her late breakfast and continued eating. Hermione Granger was unaware of her friend devising a plan that could be Hermione's most embarrassing secret of her life. 


	14. The Daily Prophet Says

Chapter # 14  
  
Sunday, October 8th- 1:00 P.M Severus felt a pang of panic. It couldn't be gryffins. It just couldn't be! Gryffins were animals who lived in caves that dotted the sides of mountains. They were rarely seen in caves or caverns anywhere else. Of course, they were used to guard treasures, but that was about it.  
  
"Ohhh." Severus whispered, sinking down to his knees as a wave of loneliness surged through his brain. "Not now, James! Not now!" But he was already feeling weak, and he was trembling. Soft tapping of sharp talons on the ground. Though there wasn't as many as he had thought there would be, there were two gryffins. Only two. Only? Two wizards could hardly handle a fairly mellow one. One wizard, trying to calm down at the sign of two gryffins, was expected to panic. He grimaced as a wave of pain washed over him. His knees buckled. Why?  
  
"Caaaww!" Well, there's one of them, shrieking his head off.  
  
"Ugh!" Severus dived out of the way as a set of razor-sharp talons grazed his ribs painfully. He grabbed the pendant and took off, his legs aching and his head pounding painfully. He leapt up and pushed open the steel door. A gust of cool wind hit him. Severus gasped as he slammed the door painfully on his foot. He was still holding the pendant in his now ripped, bleeding arm.  
  
"Caaww! Caaww!"  
  
"Urgh!" Severus groaned as he ran for the exit, and took a flying leap out of the small air pocket in the bottom of the lake. He shot out into the water and swam desperately to the surface. He thought his ribs would explode. He couldn't go anymore, he just couldn't. He was about to give up when he finally broke through the surface and gasped for air as though he had never breathed before. He trembled and clambered out of the water. Oh, it had been a close shave down there, all alone, with a couple of mad gryffins. Severus groaned and swam carefully to shore. It was quite hot out, so there were no students around. That was good. If a kid saw Snape dripping from head to toe and holding an arm that was viciously gushing out blood, rumors would be flying around like crazy. He sighed and pulled himself up the stairs and right into the Great Hall.  
  
"Professor Snape! Oh my God, what happened to your arm?" There were only two students. Hermione Granger and, oh no. Potter. Snape sighed bitterly.  
  
"Ah. Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter. My favorite students." Snape hissed, before shoving past them and walking towards the marble staircase. Harry scowled.  
  
"What's gotten into him?" He murmured. "Or is he just being Snape?"  
  
"I think he's just being Snape. C'mon, let's go to the common room. I've got that essay to do." Hermione said quietly. Harry sighed.  
  
"Alright." He followed Hermione up the stairs. But he didn't make it all the way to the Gryffindor common room. Ginny Weasley was blocking his path.  
  
"Hi, Ginny!" Hermione said cheerfully.  
  
"So Harry. Did you have fun with her last night?" Ginny snarled, her eyes narrowed. Harry glanced at Hermione.  
  
"C'mon Ginny! That was just an excuse and you know it!" Hermione said quickly.  
  
"Yeah! I was just trying to help."  
  
"I don't have a problem with the lying Harry! But now Dumbledore knows! He knows you lied, and he knows I'm seeing you. And Ron thinks you're cheating on me, and he's jealous because he thinks you and Hermione are together." Ginny finished breathlessly.  
  
"Ron? He's jealous? I mean, I know Hermione is seeing someone, but that's just, I mean.!" Harry was at a loss for words.  
  
"Why don't you take Ginny and calm her down, or something, Harry." Hermione said nervously. Harry shrugged.  
  
"Okay," Harry took Ginnys' hand and led her away quickly. Hermione sighed. Maybe she should go see Dumbledore. Tell him she was sorry that she lied. She started towards the headmasters' office. But she didn't make it all the way there. Someone was, once again, blocking her path. Snape. Hadn't he gone to the hospital wing? He had obviously been there, because his arm was healed.  
  
"Are you going to tell me?" He asked softly, obviously trying to be nice.  
  
"Are you going to force me to tell you?" Hermione asked uncertainly.  
  
"I won't force you to do anything. Except your homework." Snape replied, rubbing his head.  
  
"Do you always get this much headaches?" Hermione asked, feeling that she should get away as soon as possible, rather than meddling in Snapes' personal life.  
  
"No, not usually. Just lately." Snape replied. "Good day, Ms. Granger." At that he left, walking swiftly towards the dungeons. Hermione tilted her head, then shrugged. Who really cares if Snape knows? She did care. She cared about James. He had told her, he wasn't ready to face everyone yet. And then there was the relationship between them, which had, by now, reached a very romantic spot. It was all very confusing. Why was Snape getting headaches? Why did she care about her teachers' migraine? And why, why was he being so goddamn nice?  
  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" A voice snarled. Hermione tilted her head and walked uncertainly up to an empty classroom. Or at least, she thought it was empty.  
  
"Sirius, you don't know for sure that this is actually true! We can go see the place, you know."  
  
"Damn it Remus! Who the hell would do such a thing! You'd think the dark side would just quit picking on that poor family, but no! Voldemort isn't even satisfied that he has no parents! Raiding the Potters' grave! Poor James. If they threw my best friends' body into some river for kelpies to eat, I'll go kill the dark lord myself!" It was Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.  
  
"Not very wise, Sirius."  
  
"We've got to find that body! What else is in this piece of shit?" Sirius snapped, flipping through the daily Prophet.  
  
"Oh yeah, there's something about the age of consent, too. Apparently it was raised a bit, but I'm not sure." Remus said slowly. Sirius found the page and began to read. When he was finished he shook his head.  
  
"I think it's good that they raised it." He said simply. Hermione shook her head and snick away from the classroom, then darted back towards the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Ron were standing, reading the papers together, their mouths open in shock.  
  
"Hey guys, what's up?" She asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.  
  
"Eww. Just eww." Ron muttered. Harry shook his head.  
  
"I second it for both articles in that paper. Poor Dad. I can't believe it!" He muttered angrily. Hermione flinched slightly.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"My dads' body is missing! I. ugh, that's disgusting!" Harry turned away from the paper and faced Hermione.  
  
"What about the other article you were talking about?" She asked, hoping it wasn't really bad.  
  
"That's just totally disgusting!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Hermione demanded.  
  
"Okay, you know how the age of consent for a girl is 14?"  
  
"Age of consent?" Hermione asked in confusion.  
  
"You know." Ron muttered. "The age of consent was 14, so if a girl is 14 or older she's allowed to have sex with a man 18 or older." He shook his head.  
  
"It's only 14?" Hermione asked in surprise.  
  
"Not anymore. Now it's 16, thank god." Harry muttered. "That's disgusting. Why would a girl want to have sex with a man?" Hermione blushed, then realized something. Age of consent. 16. She was turning 15 in October. Oh great. She had a very romantic relationship, but that article in the daily prophet. Now her relationship was not only secret, it was. illegal.  
  
{DRUM ROLL!!}  
  
END OF CHAPTER! 


	15. Way To Go, Ronald

Chapter #15  
  
Sunday, September 8th, 9:00 P.M  
  
"Homework, right?" Harry asked, turning to his essay. Hermione blinked.  
  
"I can't believe you haven't done that yet." She muttered. Harry grinned.  
  
"C'mon, Mione! It's only 9:00! I can get it done! I'm not tired!" He stated, then yawned, his head drooping slightly.  
  
"Harry, you lazy, good for nothing."  
  
"Hey, I got in the hospital wing because of you! Besides, I'm almost done. One more sentence." He answered.  
  
"That incident was not meant to happen!" Hermione replied. "Now finish that, because we have school tomorrow."  
  
"Aww. I guess the weekend is over." Ron said as he flopped down beside Harry.  
  
"Nah. We get the whole week off, Ronnikens!"  
  
"Shut up, Fred." Ron sighed as his twin brothers sat down beside him.  
  
"So," Fred said slyly. "Where was Hermione last night?" George sniggered. Harrys' eyes widened. Ron glanced at Hermione.  
  
"Good question." He stated. Hermione scowled.  
  
"I was with my. boyfriend." She said with a shrug. Harry sighed. George grinned.  
  
"Who's the lucky guy?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah? Who managed to get close to you, with Ron and Harry around?" Fred inquired. Hermione glared at him angrily. It was Harry, however, who jumped to her defense.  
  
"You guys, it's none of your business, really." He stated, blushing slightly when they looked at him in surprise. Ron blinked.  
  
"It's not you, is it?" He asked incredulously. Harry snorted.  
  
"Ron, I already told you, just because I have a girlfriend doesn't mean me and Hermione can't be friends." He muttered. Ginny chose that moment to come up behind Harry and kiss him passionately. Ron looked furious.  
  
"So, you have a boyfriend?" He asked, a glint in his eyes. Hermione sighed.  
  
"He isn't exactly my boyfriend, he's more of a." How was she supposed to word it without giving too many clues out?  
  
"Friend?" Ginny asked.  
  
"No, he's not really a friend. He's. my lover." Rons' face was turning a very unattractive shade of reddish purple color. Harry smiled and kissed Ginny once again. They were soon enveloped on their kiss and forgot that Ginnys' brothers were still there.  
  
"Aww, jeez! That's so romantic!" Fred cried.  
  
"He's your lover? Wow! Is he in Gryffindor? Is he in your year? Who is he? How old is he? He is a he, isn't he?" George asked, his eyes wide with excitement. Hermione sighed.  
  
"Of course he's a man! I mean.!" Hermione flushed bright red at the last words that flew from her mouth. Rons' eyes widened.  
  
"How old is he?" The boy asked suspiciously.  
  
"Ugh, it's none of your business!" Hermione yelled. She leapt to her feet and ran to the girls' dormitory. George glared at Ron.  
  
"Way to go, Ronald." He mumbled. The twins got up and left, flashing Harry a small smile. Ginny sighed.  
  
"Should I maybe go see if she's okay?" The girl asked nervously.  
  
"Naw. You'll just upset her even more." Harry replied. "Let's go to the kitchens.." The two got up and left, Harrys' arm wrapped protectively over Ginnys' shoulders. Ron glared at the retreating backs of his friends, then turned to his essay. A piece of parchment was lying there. Harrys' essay. He picked it up and began to read. He didn't get very far.  
  
"That's Harrys' essay, Ron!" Hermione was standing there, her foot tapping the floor. Ron scowled.  
  
"I know." He muttered, setting it down. "So, who is this guy you're seeing?"  
  
"Why do you care?" Hermione asked suspiciously.  
  
"I know! He's a Slytherin isn't he! That's why you won't tell." Ron looked highly insulted.  
  
"He is not a Slytherin!" Hermione yelled. It was a good thing the common room was empty, or there would definitely be a crowd forming. She glared at him angrily.  
  
"How do I know you aren't lying?" Ron demanded. Hermione shrugged furiously.  
  
"Just leave me alone, okay?" Hermione muttered, turning away from him. Ron scowled.  
  
"How come Harry knows?" He asked.  
  
"Ron, you ignorant fool! Harry doesn't know! Nobody knows who he is!" Hermione yelled. "Now, I'm going to the library. And I'm taking this with me." She grabbed Harrys' essay and stomped out of the common room. Ron glared at her retreating back.  
  
"Damn." He muttered. He really liked Hermione, and he hated the idea of someone touching her, their hands exploring places that he wished he could touch. It just wasn't fair that he didn't get Hermione, when he felt that he was the only one who deserved such a beautiful girl.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione didn't go to the library, instead she took off at a light jog, towards Hagrids' hut. He was good at sorting out ones' problems, Hermione knew. He had helped her in her third year and a bit in her first year. Come to think of it, he helped in her fourth year too. Hagrid was a very good friend to Hermione. She was just walking out of the front hall when a hand fell on her shoulder. Hermione spun around, expecting it to be Ron, or Harry, but she was caught by surprise. Nobody. It looked as though no one was even paying attention to her. She turned again, but then there was another pull on her shoulder. This time Hermione saw a flash of someone's hand, quickly withdrawing away, then vanishing.  
  
"Who's there?" Hermione whispered uncertainly.  
  
"Santa Clause." Came a mans' voice. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Nice try James." She whispered in recognition. She had almost forgot about him being in the castle. "Follow me, I'm going to Hagrids'. She added lightly.  
  
"Yes your highness." Came the taunting response. Hermione grinned widely and started towards Hagrids' hut. She could hear the soft crunching noise of James' feet on the ground. Reaching up, Hermione knocked on the door. The loud barking of Fang rung out from in the small, cozy hut. Hagrid opened the door and attempted to restrain his large boarhound from smothering Hermione, but Fang would have none of it. He leapt up at Hermione and started to lick her face, knocking her right down to the floor of the hut. Hagrid shook his head.  
  
"Fang, you big old fool, get off of her!" He scolded cheerfully. Fang jumped off of Hermione, wagging his tail excitingly.  
  
"It's alright Hagrid. No harm meant, right Fang?" Hermione asked, patting Fang on the head. Then a voice whispered, barely audible to Hermione,  
  
"I'm going to the forest." Hermione glanced around then shut the door, feeling better now that James was safe.  
  
"So, is something wrong?" Hagrid asked cheerfully.  
  
END OF CHAPTER {No shit!} 


	16. Hagrids' Stress Remedy

Chapter # 16  
  
Hermione smiled as Hagrid handed her a platter of hard-looking cakes. She picked one up and politely bit into it, then grimaced. She had lots of experience with rock cakes, and one day she was sure someone was gonna chip a tooth on them.  
  
"So, Ron's mad at you again?" Hagrid asked. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Harry says he really likes me, but I just want to be friends with those two. Nothing more." She said quietly. Hagrid sighed.  
  
"Well, why don't you just tell him that?" He asked. Hermione shrugged.  
  
"I don't want to hurt his feelings. And if Ron gets mad at me, then Harry will get mad at me, then Ginny will too, and I'll be stuck in the middle of it all." She replied, sighing in defeat. Hagrid put a huge, comforting arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Not everyone will be mad at you, m'dear. What about your boyfriend? Will he be mad?"  
  
"Yes. No. I don't know. It's hard to say what his reaction would be." Hermione said slowly. What would James think if his son were mad at his lover? She wasn't sure. Hermione sighed. She wasn't sure because she hardly knew him. Then why was she having an affair with him?  
  
"Well, I won't be mad at you. Dumbledore won't be mad. Neither will Mcgonagall." Hagrid said reassuringly.  
  
"They would be mad if they found out who I was seeing." Hermione mumbled. "Then again, they wouldn't believe me if I told them who it was. They would probably let me go straight to St. Mungo's."  
  
"Hermione," Hagrid looked horrified. "It's not Snape, is it?" Hermione stared at him in shock.  
  
"No! Of course it's not Snape! I wouldn't dream of having an affair with a teacher!" Hagrid grinned.  
  
"Just guessing." He said innocently. Hermione snorted.  
  
"Well, you aren't very good at guessing." She mumbled.  
  
"He's an adult, right?" Hagrid asked. Hermione sighed.  
  
"Hagrid, I don't want to tell anyone." She said stubbornly. Hagrid chuckled quietly.  
  
"I'm not asking you to tell me who he is. I just want to know a bit about him." He replied.  
  
"Well, you don't really need to know anything about him." She replied, just as stubborn as before. Hagrid sighed.  
  
"I don't really need to know anything about him, but I would like to know something. Anything, Hermione. Even just a bit of a description." He said kindly.  
  
"Fine! But just a bit of a description." Hermione replied, giving in slightly.  
  
"What does he look like?" Hagrid asked.  
  
"Um, he's really tall. And he's strong too." She began, then plunged on rather recklessly. "He has blue eyes. Not like Dumbledores' eyes, but kinda like, stormy blue eyes. And he's go a tan too." She finished. Hagrid sighed.  
  
"I don't know any student that fits that description." He admitted slowly. "Is it Draco Malfoy?" Hermione stared at him.  
  
"That was the freakiest thing I ever heard. Of course it's not Malfoy!" She exclaimed. Hagrid chuckled.  
  
"I somehow doubted it would be. Besides, he's paler than a ghost, that Malfoy kid." He replied, taking a drink of his tea. Hermione nodded in agreement.  
  
"It's not Malfoy." She said simply.  
  
"Neville? No, he's got brown eyes, so it's not him." Hagrid sighed and looked at her in defeat. "I give up." He said dejectedly. Hermione grinned.  
  
"Good, because I wouldn't say yes even if you guessed right." She said happily. Hagrid shrugged.  
  
"I guess I'm just wasting my time then." He mumbled. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Yup. You're wasting your time." She replied. "But thanks for the tea and cakes Hagrid. I've gotta go." Hermione stood up and grinned at Hagrid rather awkwardly.  
  
"Well, you take care of yourself, okay? And take care of those crazy boys too. Especially Harry. Little mischief maker, he is." The half-giant said fondly. Hermione nodded and left, feeling better than she had when she had went to the cabin.  
  
End Of Chapter 


	17. Here's A Little Valentines' Day Treat

Happy belated valentines' day. This chapter is dedicated to my friend, who picked out all the animals that Harry, Ron, and Hermione should turn into. I think I'll start to speed things up a bit. Here's a hint. Chapter 24 and 25 will focus on Halloween.  
Chapter # 17  
Monday, September 9th, 10:00 A.M  
  
Snape sighed bitterly as he stirred the potion. It was definitely not a very good day. He blinked as the students piled in the classroom in the dungeons, his eyes lingering off-handedly to Hermione Granger, who was unusually quiet lately. He was sure it had something to do with.. Well, he knew he shouldn't be pondering over it like this, but still, something wasn't right. Even though, deep within, everything seemed all right, he knew on the outside something was terribly wrong.  
  
"Today we will brew a very complicating transforming potion called the angleris potion. This is not something to meddle with, and I give you fair warning, that if spilled onto any solid surface, that surface will transform into fire. DO NOT under ANY circumstances should you even THINK about touching the substance. " Snape warned them roughly. "It will hurt severely if poured onto skin, though it is used in some healing methods. Any questions?" Snape glared at them, as if he was daring them to ask a question. Hermione raised her hand. He glared at her with a sneer.  
  
"Um, what about those potions we made on last Monday?" She asked nervously.  
  
"You will be using them in transfiguration this afternoon." Snape replied. "Anything else?" No one else had any questions, so the class passed by quietly. Until Malfoy started to whisper insults to Harry when the potion made a small erosion of bubbles in his face.  
  
"Potter, are you trying to catch on fire? I hope so, bloody hell that would be an awesome sight!"  
  
"Back off, Malfoy." Harry replied quietly. "I'm not looking for a fight today."  
  
"Awww! Is poor little Potter missing his mommy and daddy? Too bad he killed them when he was one." Malfoy replied. Hermione caught onto the insult and glared at Malfoy at the mention of James being dead. But before she could scold the pureblood brat, a more authoritative voice broke out.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy? I see you are done your potion." Snape barked roughly.  
  
"Uh, no sir. I was just talking to Potter, you know, giving him advice." Malfoy replied smoothly. He didn't think Snape would get him into trouble. How very wrong he was.  
  
"I see. Well, Potter, how is your potion coming along?" Snape withdrew a quill from his pocket and stuck the tip in Harrys' potion. Harry held his breath, knowing that if nothing happened he would probably get told off. But as soon as the tip of the quill hit the potion it combusted into blue flames. Snape nodded his head in approval, much to everyone's' surprise.  
  
"Now Malfoy, kindly test your potion." Draco nodded and stuck a quill in the potion, but nothing happened. "Twenty points from Slytherin for lying to the teacher, and twenty points to Gryffindor for keeping your temper to yourself. A rather unusual feat for you hotheaded Potters." Snape said with a small smile at Harry.  
  
"Someone's in a good mood." Ron muttered. Harry nodded.  
  
"Yes, Weasley, I'm in a fairly good mood." But Severus didn't want the students to know why. He sat down and examined the glowing red crystal, thinking. That saying, he had looked it up, and found that LASCIATI AGNI SPERANZA VOI CHENTRETRI meant "Abandon all hope, ye who enters." Rather clever, Severus thought bitterly. But as soon as he heard someone approaching the desk he shoved it in a drawer. He looked up into shockingly emerald eyes.  
  
"Uh, I'd just like to thank you professor." He was blushing greatly when he said this. "For being fair today. I mean, it's not like you're always that, um, nice to me. You know, you usually favor the Slytherins." Harry finished breathlessly. It had been Hermione's idea to thank Snape, though Ron had objected to that.  
  
"I see." Snape said slowly. "Well, Po. Harry," Harry blinked when directed to his professor by his first name. He had been wondering lately if Snape even knew his first name. "It's not often I do that for someone, but you didn't ask for a fight with Malfoy, and I certainly didn't want to see you punch him. Physical fighting is much disapproved in school."  
  
"I wouldn't have punched him!"  
  
"And are you sure that if I let him insult not just you, but your family, you wouldn't have punched him?" Snape asked calmly.  
  
"I probably would have given him a good black eye." Harry admitted. Snape sighed.  
  
"Had he been insulting you, I would have let it go as another teenage scuffle, but he did, in fact, insult your family. And much as I hate your father, I'll admit to placing him as a sort of role-model for me. He got good marks, I tried to get better. He got on the quidditch team, I got to be captain. I did have respect for him. But yes, putting it bluntly, I hate him."  
  
"You still hate him? I mean, he's dead! And hate is a really strong word, professor." Harry replied, wondering why Snape was being so civil to him.  
  
"Well, maybe I don't hate him as much as I'd like to think I do, but." Snape sighed. The bell rang suddenly, so Harry and his fellow Gryffindors left, followed loosely by the Slytherins. The double potion lesson had been very draining.  
  
"So we have Transfiguration and charms after lunch?" Ron asked. Harry nodded.  
  
"Harry, that was good of you to thank Professor Snape. You never know, he might soften up in his old age." Hermione said with a grin.  
  
"He isn't that old. I mean, he's no older than my dad. Dad would be thirty-five right now, so Snape is thirty-five."  
  
"Holy cow! Snape's only twenty years older than us!" Ron said with a grin. Harry shrugged.  
  
"Oh well. Hey Hermione? Do you still have my cloak?" Hermione felt her face pale.  
  
"Uh, I still need it." She said quickly.  
  
"That's fine. Just don't lose it, okay?" Harry asked with a small smile. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"I won't."  
  
"Are you ever gonna tell us who you're seeing?" Ron asked. Hermione sighed. She didn't really think Ron would ever drop the subject for good.  
  
"Ron does it really matter that much to you?"  
  
"No." Ron sighed. Harry smiled and started to eat his lunch. Transfiguration was next, so they hurried to Mcgonagalls' classroom. She sat behind her desk, staring at them pointedly, and that's when they realized that they were five minutes late.  
  
"Oops. Lost track of time." Harry said quickly. Hermione sighed. Draco snickered from where he sat.  
  
"Nest time this happens I will turn Mr. Potter into a watch for you two to get here on time." Mcgonagall said strictly. Harry managed a weak, nervous smile before they sat in their usual seats.  
  
"Now, Professor Snape has given me your potions, and you will drink them one at a time. Understood? Good, now let's begin. Ms. Brown?" Lavender stepped forward uncertainly and drank her potion. There was a small fizzling noise, and a faint pop. A penguin stood in her place. After a minute Lavender tuned back and sat down. The class progressed in much the same manner. Several people applauded when Neville turned into a tiger. Hermione drank her potion and waited. The familiar feeling came to her, but this time it wasn't just her eyes that tingled. Her whole body did. A faint pop and Hermione looked around. Everything seemed so big. She stretched her arms, only to realize they had feathers on them. She turned back into herself and sidled uneasily into her desk.  
  
"Exciting, isn't it?" Ron asked as Draco Malfoy got up uncertainly. He turned into what looked like a salamander at first, then grew into a four-foot long lizard. Parvati turned into a black cat. Pansy Parkinson turned into a small yellow dog. Harry squirmed uneasily as he drained the bottle.  
  
"Ugh, that was disgusting!" He gagged, then felt a tingling sensation in his body. A weird feeling took hold of his mind, and he felt the floor shift underneath him.  
  
The class watched as the stallion went onto his hind legs then settled nervously on the floor. He shook his head in a rather humanlike manner.  
  
Harry shook his head and looked around. He felt strange. Every time he tried to stand up, the whole class gasped and he felt like he was going to fall over, so he landed back down. Of course! He was a horse now! Still a bit confused, he felt his body start to tingle again. A small sigh escaped his lips as he turned back, finding himself on his hands and knees in a rather awkward position. He scrambled up and sat down in his seat, blushing. After everyone was done, which took up all of the class, they piled out of the classroom and towards the charms corridor.  
  
"Well, that was embarrassing." Ron mumbled. Harry nodded. He wasn't too sure what to think of all this animagus stuff.  
PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER  
  
September 10th, Tuesday at 8:00, P.M Severus Sighed and rubbed his head in confusion. He was pondering over the fact that his head was hurting, and he had to go on a death eater raid. Things would probably get very ugly. Apparently Voldemort had come up with a plan to kill Harry, and he knew something about James Potter. Severus shook his head and rubbed it again. 


	18. No title Too Damned Lazy

I'M IN SUCH A GOOD MOOD, TAKE ANOTHER CHAPTER, I JUST WROTE TWO MORE ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sugar? Did somebody say sugar???? WEEEE!!!!  
  
Chapter # 18  
  
September 10th, Tuesday at 8:00, P.M  
  
Severus sighed and rubbed his head in confusion. He was pondering over the fact that his head was hurting, and he had to go on a death eater meeting. Things would probably get very ugly. Apparently Voldemort had come up with a plan to kill Harry, and he knew something about James Potter. Severus shook his head then rubbed it again as he stood up and dug in his closet, searching for his death eater mask. He pulled out the black robes and the mask, and dressed quietly.  
  
"Damn that Voldemort." He mumbled to himself as he put an invisibility charm on himself and sidled out of the dungeons. Up into the great hall, where some stray students were sitting, and right out the entrance hall. He left no mark of even leaving the castle. In fact, he hadn't even told Dumbledore he was leaving. It was better off that way. Dumbledore wouldn't want him to go to Voldemort for some crazy reason, and a rumor that could hardly be true.  
"So, now that we have, ahem! All of our free death eaters out, I have something to ask of you. Severus Snape, why were you not present at my resurrection?"  
  
"My Lord," Severus kept his voice smooth and free from stutters. "Forgive me greatly for pointing out the obvious, but, Dumbledore would have known I was on the dark side, had I left immediately when you called. And I just happen to be your only means of information directly from Dumbledore and the boy who lived." He prayed silently that Voldemort be in a passive mood.  
  
"Severus, you have always been a very clever and faithful servant, and I doubt that you are a spy for Dumbledore." Voldemort said softly. He gazed at Severus with pleasure, thinking that such a clever cunning man could be used against their enemies.  
  
"Thank you very much, My Lord. I am unworthy of such praise!" Severus replied. Inside he was shaking with disgust, but on the outside he showed Voldemort that he had no fear. Absolutely none at all. Fear meant that he was hiding something.  
  
"Now, on to more important matters. Godric Hollow, I understand, is missing one of its long-term graveyard residents. Lucious? Fill them in, please."  
  
"The grave where James Potter was is empty. We suspect him to be somewhere near Hogwarts. And there is, of course, one other person who probably knows of the mans' existence. A mudblood in Dracos' and Potters' year, Hermione Granger, we assume, know he is alive." Lucious said quietly. Voldemort turned to Severus.  
  
"Any input, boy?" Severus blinked when addressed as a boy.  
  
"My lord, I've no clue. Why was I not informed earlier of him being alive? You know very well that I hate James Potter, and wish him never to be born, let alone reborn." He replied simply to Lucious.  
  
"Lucious, your son should be informed about this. Ask him to keep an eye out for Potter. And tell him to keep an eye on that girl. Hermione." Voldemort said with a scowl. Lucious nodded. "Now, you two leave. I need to discuss something with Wormtail." Severus clenched his fists at the mention of Wormtail, but he followed Lucious out of the dungeons of Voldemorts' hideout.  
  
"Severus."  
  
"He can't be."  
  
"What do you think? I know what I saw. I saw James Potter!" Lucious said quietly.  
  
"Well, maybe that girl. Are you gonna tell Draco?" Severus asked uncertainly.  
  
"Of course I am. And Draco won't let anyone except me and you know about what he learns." Lucious said softly. Severus felt his eyes widen.  
  
"You mean."  
  
"You're a spy. Now THAT'S stating the obvious."  
  
"So are you!" Severus glared at him.  
  
"I'm not a spy! I'm just not on the dark side." Lucious replied simply.  
  
"You too?"  
  
"Severus, how long have you been on Dumbledores' side?" Lucious looked genuinely interested.  
  
"I'm not telling you anything else." Severus turned his head away stubbornly. Lucious scowled.  
  
"Your way is fine old friend. Come on, let's ditch this junkyard." He replied bitterly. Severus nodded vigorously. The two of them walked out of the old stone building, each feeling better now that they were aware of their positions in the death eater ranks.  
  
September 11th, 2:00 A.M, Wednesday  
  
Draco listened to his father and Snape as they filled him in on the situation.  
  
"And if you find something out, you tell no one except Professor Snape or myself. Alright?" Lucious asked his son, who nodded enthusiastically. Of course, deep inside he was fuming. Did these guys think he was actually a death eater? No way! He didn't want to be on the dark side. And besides, after Snape told him off in potions the other day, he didn't want to tell the greasy git anything. He sighed.  
  
"I'm tired, father. May I go to bed?" Lucious nodded and watched as Draco collapsed on his four-poster bed. The two left him, and Lucious returned to his manner. Severus collapsed in his bed, feeling exhausted. His head ached and his eyes were feeling very heavy. The last thing he remembered seeing in his mind was James Potter, grinning at him, that cheeky grin he used to pas Severus so long ago, in their own Hogwarts days.  
Draco sighed bitterly. He didn't think he could fall asleep now that he knew something exciting. Granger knew Potters' dad was alive? Ohh, Harry would be so pissed off if he found out Hermione was keeping that from him. In fact, this little piece of information could break up the terrible trio for good. But his father had told him that this was lethal information. He could not only hurt a lot of people on the light side, but he could kill people on the dark side. Draco didn't want anyone to die. He sighed as sleep finally took hold of his brain and lulled him into silence.  
  
END OF CHAPTER  
  
What's that, you want a preview? Sorry, I can't give you one! And thanks to all of my reviewers, you've all been so patient. I know you want the plot to get going, so now it is. This story will be fairly long, so that's why there are so many chapters. 


	19. Help, I'm Falling Down At Great Heights!

Finally, another chapter! Thanks for the reviews, and keep them up, I love em!  
  
Chapter is set in different peoples POV. Don't worry I'll tell you whose POV it is!  
  
Chapter # 19  
  
Wednesday, September 11th, 6:30  
  
Dracos POV  
  
My eyes fluttered open as the light was turned on. Crabbe looked at me stupidly.  
  
"Time to get up." He grunted, then turned to leave.  
  
"Well, duh." I mumbled to myself, and slid into my school uniform. I grabbed a comb and pushed my blond hair back against my head. It usually stayed there, but not this morning. It flopped back down, right into my face. I sighed and reached over, grabbing the hair gel. Once my hair was in its usual style, I grabbed my bag and raced down into the common room, and right out the door. Pansy opened her mouth to say good morning to me when I got to the great hall, but I just pushed past her. My thoughts were trained on earlier this morning, around 2:00. What had father said? I sat down and glanced sideways at Hermione Granger, who was talking to her friends.  
  
"Hey Draco, what do we have today?" Goyle, who had followed Draco to the great hall, asked sluggishly.  
  
"History of Magic, Care of Magical creatures, herbology, and divination." I replied. Goyle nodded and started to look for the essay Binns had given us last week. I glanced up at Hermione once more, and my eyes widened in surprise. She was staring right back at me.  
HERMIONE'S POV!!  
  
I glanced up at Malfoy, and saw that he was looking straight at me. Speak of the devil. He seemed unusually disgruntled today, like he was lacking in both sleep and warmth. He looked away, so I turned away and picked some more at my food.  
  
"Hermione, are you gonna go on a hunger strike for those house-elves?" Harry asked desperately. I glared at my friend.  
  
"Of course not. Hunger strikes are pointless, stupid, and ridiculous. And they're very unhealthy." I said simply. Ron raised his eyebrows.  
  
"No would have been just fine to answer that question." He muttered. Harry chuckled. Those two would never rest at peace with each other.  
  
"Quit arguing, you guys. It bugs me." He said quickly. I sighed in exasperation.  
  
"It's hard not to argue, Harry. Me and Ron have personality clashes." I replied simply. Ron shrugged.  
  
"We have Care of Magical Creatures next, so lets go. We're gonna be late." Ron said quickly. Harry nodded. I got up and we started towards the entrance hall when I finally remembered.  
  
"Oh darn, I forgot my book." I muttered, then turned and raced back towards the Gryffindor common room. Ron shook his head.  
  
"Crazy woman." Harry chuckled at his friends' comment.  
  
End of Hermione's POV. Authors pov.  
Draco ran slowly down the stairs, feeling worried. He was going to be late for class. Not watching where he was going, he bumped into someone. Hermione Granger.  
  
"Hey, watch where you're going, Granger." He said angrily, then stopped. He had wanted to talk to her about James Potter, and she wasn't with her annoying friends. Now was his chance. "Umm, Hermione?" That's it Draco. Take the sweet approach. It should work. "Do you know anything about Potters' dad?" Hermione stared at him.  
  
"James Potter? I know he was a fantastic seeker {A/n :I know James was a chaser, but being a seeker plays a very important role in the story.} and very troublesome. Why?" She couldn't help but feel suspicious. Why would Draco want to know about Harrys' dad?  
  
"Uh, you missed my point. I meant like, right now. Do you know anything now?" Draco asked, feeling embarrassed. Hermione was shocked at what he just said. He couldn't know! There was no way he could know. She pretended to look amused.  
  
"I know he's dead." Hermione replied, forcing herself to giggle as though she thought he was stupid. Draco looked quite embarrassed, but quickly regained his stature.  
  
"Oh? Is he now?" his voice was smooth and taunting.  
  
"Well, duh." Hermione snapped in annoyance. "Now excuse me, we're going to be late for class." She tried to walk around him, but he blocked her path.  
  
"No really, is he actually dead? Or maybe he rose mysteriously up from his grave!" Draco hissed in a threatening tone. Hermiones' eyes widened.  
  
"D-d- don't be stupid, Malfoy. He died nearly fourteen years ago. People don't just rise from their graves after laying there for a decade!" she snapped, then tried to find her way around Draco. The slimy slytherin would have none of it.  
  
"Where do you think you're goin'? We're gonna sit down and have a nice long chat, concerning people rising mysteriously from their graves! You got it, Mudblood?"  
  
"Get out of my way, you despicable, slimy, slippery, good-for-nothing rich-bitch pureblood!" Hermione screamed, and she reached over and slapped him across the head. Draco reeled back and slumped against the banister weakly.  
  
"Oww, damn you, that hurt." He hissed angrily. "I can't even have a civil talk without getting slapped. Stupid mudblood whore." That was the last straw for Hermiones' patience. She lunged at Draco, furious, getting ready to beat him to a pulp, when.  
  
Draco gasped as Hermione shoved him right over the banister. He flipped over it, and she was falling with him. And they tumbled from the marble staircase. Draco yelled at her in alarm. Hermione instantly forgot about beating him to the ground, because they were about to bash into it themselves. The world seemed to end when Snape was racing across the great hall, peering up at them and waving his wand in horror, obviously trying to slow them down. A feathery feeling seized both of them, and they stopped in midair. Well, they hadn't stopped completely. They were hovering.  
  
"You stupid fools! What the hell were you trying to do?" Snape screamed up at the floating students, just as Dumbledore strode into the hall.  
  
"Severus, my boy, what on earth are you doing?" he asked in slight confusion.  
  
"Uh," Severus blushed. "Just rescuing these foolish students. They flipped over the banister. Mr. Malfoys' yell alerted me." He prayed that he wasn't in trouble with the headmaster.  
  
"He heard that all the way from his class?" Draco whispered to Hermione in suspicion. Hermione shrugged.  
  
"I want down." Draco stared at the girl, baffled. Want down? Why would she want down? This was actually quite fun. But Hermione had other ideas. She started to kick and squirm. Getting the hint, Snape lowered them to the floor.  
  
"Now, you two apologize, and you will serve detention with Hagrid tonight, in the forbidden forest." Dumbledore said sternly. Draco sighed and turned to Hermione.  
  
"Sorry I, um, called you a mudblood."  
  
"Sorry I slapped you." Hermione admitted softly, and the two walked slowly out of the great hall.  
  
"Detention. I can't believe it!" Draco grumbled. "And we have to serve it in the forest at that."  
  
Hermiones' eyes widened. The forest? She had to warn James, really soon. He seemed to make her life a lot more difficult than it actually was. But she loved him all the same. 


	20. We've been Discovered

I'm glad you guys are still reading, you're awfully supportive, man. I'll try, but don't expect too much, good lord I'm tired. This chapter is very poorly done, I rushed through it. But oh well, here you go.  
  
Chapter # 20  
  
"My Lord, you can't possibly believe that Snape is on our side!"  
  
"Hush, Wormtail! Rest assured, Snape is against us, and I am well aware of that. Now, you be silent, unless I tell you to speak." Voldemort hissed.  
  
"Yes, master." Wormtail muttered.  
  
"Now, did you leave out some information about James Potter?" Voldemort demanded angrily.  
  
"No, I d,dd, didn't." Wormtail stuttered weakly.  
  
"No? Give me his description!"  
  
"Tall, really strong, messy black hair, glasses, blue eyes." Wormtail responded quietly.  
  
"Oh? And he fits no other description? Tall, red fur, big antlers, blue eyes, cloven hooves?"  
  
"Oh, uh, he's an animagus!"  
  
"Wormtail, you fool! Why was I not told earlier?"  
  
"I'm sorry, my lor."  
  
"Crucio!" Voldemort watched with a smirk as Wormtail fell to the floor, writhing in pain. "Next time you fulfill your task as required, or it'll be a bit more than just pain, you hear?"  
  
"Y, yes." Wormtail gasped.  
  
"Good." Voldemort lifted the curse and smiled in satisfaction as Wormtail stumbled to his feet, trembling. "Lucious, I trust Snape believes he has slipped past me?"  
  
"He has, my lord." Lucious felt a tremor of fear run through his body. He and Snape, they had both been tricked into thinking Voldemort had turned a blind eye on Snape. He smiled and stepped forward. "My Lord, Snape thinks that I am on the light side."  
  
"Very good, Lucious. Snape will get a taste of his own traitorous medicine."  
  
Wednesday, September 12th - 7:30 P.M.  
  
Severus stared warily at Dumbledore.  
  
"Lucious knows you are on the light side, and he thinks that you think he is on the light side?" the headmaster asked slowly. Severus nodded quietly.  
  
"Severus, you must not go back for more information. Voldemort will surely kill you if you do." Severus sighed and nodded solemnly.  
  
"Understandable." He whispered, feeling disappointed that he no longer could spy. He had thrived off of all the secrecy. Little did he know he would be sworn to secrecy very soon, on a very important subject.  
  
{And now, my friends, love is in the air!}  
  
8:00 P.M.  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Please? With sugar on top?"  
  
"Thanks for the sugar, but still no."  
  
"Hermmmione!"  
  
"Jammmes. Quit whining at me."  
  
"I'm sorry about earlier."  
  
"Sorry won't cut it." James pouted at her, sticking his bottom lip out.  
  
"Come on, Mione. I told you I'm sorry!"  
  
"Didn't you hear what I just said? Sorry won't cut it."  
  
"Just say you forgive me!"  
  
"But I don't." Hermione turned away from James in annoyance.  
  
"Look."  
  
"You promised me you'd teach me how to become an animagus. You broke your promise."  
  
"I promise I won't ever break another promise again!" James stared at Hermione in exasperation. Not even Lily had been this stubborn.  
  
"I'm leaving."  
  
"I'm keeping my cloak." James shot back. Hermione spun around in shock.  
  
"You can't! Harry will be looking for it!" James smiled.  
  
"There's some consequences to being stubborn. Besides, it is mine"  
  
"Well, what do you want me to do?" Hermione asked angrily. She had never thought that James could be so. insufferable!  
  
"Come give me a kiss." Hermione glared at him angrily.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you know you love me." Hermione scowled. He was right, though she was too proud to admit it. She knew she loved him. Her eyes scanned James' handsome face. His hair was fluttering lightly in the late autumn breeze, and his eyes were full of warmth and laughter. He had a strong masculine jaw, and teeth so white Hermiones' parents would be jealous. Oh, Lavender and Parvati would kill for him. Hermione started to grin mischievously at the realization that her lover was a pretty juicy piece of eye candy.  
  
"James?"  
  
"Yeah?" Hermione launched herself at him, pressing her lips firmly against his soft lips, her hand running through his tousled hair. James was startled at the sudden forgiveness, but quickly recuperated and the two began a rather fierce snog session.  
  
Draco Malfoy gulped as he continued walking, ignoring the feeling of unease as the forbidden forest loomed at him in the darkness. He wasn't sure why he was going there of all the places, but. Draco just had a strange twinge in his stomach, telling him to go to the forest. He shrugged off the peculiar feeling and strode purposefully into the darkness.  
  
"Lumos." He followed the light shining from his wand. There were footprints in the dry ground, so Draco started to follow them.  
  
20 minutes later...  
  
"Shit." Draco mumbled to himself. He was definitely lost. Just as he was starting to give up hope he heard a soft feminine moan from somewhere in front of him.  
  
"Mmph."  
  
"Ugh."  
  
"Jamesss."  
  
"Mmm!"  
  
"What the?" Draco whispered as he heard the rather disturbing grunting and moaning. Who the hell went this far just to hide the fact that they had a relationship? He stepped closer, peered into the clearing, and gasped in utter shock and astonishment. 


	21. No, This Time We Really Are Discovered

I'm so happy, I got my first burnable flame! {don't worry though, I have already used it to cook marshmallows} Here's another chapter, since I'm in a good mood. Wanna put me in a better mood? There's a purple rectangular button at the bottom of this screen.. Please????  
  
Chapter # 21  
  
Wednesday, September 12th, 8:30  
  
"Did you hear that?" Hermione asked her tousle-haired lover. James shook his head.  
  
"I don't know why you're so nervous." He murmured gently.  
  
"Because we're breaking the law. This is illegal!" she hissed back, running her hand through his thick, silk-soft hair.  
  
"Is there a law against loving someone?" James asked gently.  
  
"There's an age of consent."  
  
"Fuck the age of consent." Hermione grinned at James. He was so daring.  
  
"Ah, that wouldn't be a good idea. I have to be sixteen years old before I can give you a legal blowjob." She murmured into his chest.  
  
"So give me an illegal one."  
  
"I don't like breaking rules." James stared at her, then burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" she demanded angrily.  
  
"I have a strange feeling that we're being watched." He murmured, his face straightening.  
  
"By what kind of person?"  
  
"You're busted, Granger." Hermione spun around and her eyes widened in shock.  
  
"Malfoy!" she spat.  
  
"Shit!" James hissed under his breath.  
  
"Whoa, you look just like Potter! Are you like, his father or something? That's pretty damn low Granger, shagging your best friends father!" Draco drawled. James glared at him.  
  
"No need to tell me who you are." He replied. "Everyone knows a Malfoy is just a ball of slime wrapped in expensive black robes and too much hair gel on their heads." Hermione then giggled and started to snicker.  
  
"Say that again, I dare you." Draco hissed angrily.  
  
"Oh, you want me to summarize it? You're nothing but slime, Malfoy." James answered bitterly. "If you're anything like your father, that is."  
  
"My father is one of the most respected wizards in Britain." Draco said angrily. Hermione reached up and clamped her hand across James' mouth before he could retaliate.  
  
"Mmm, mmmph!" James glared at Hermione.  
  
"James is just a bit on the impaired side, Malfoy." She said quickly. Draco snorted.  
  
"No, you're just being nice to me in the hopes that I don't tell Potter. The younger Potter." He said snidely.  
  
"Asshole." James muttered angrily.  
  
"So? It would hurt Harry if he knew." Hermione said with a shrug.  
  
"I'll make a deal with you two." Draco said eagerly. "I won't tell anyone about your rendezvous under one condition."  
  
"What?" James asked suspiciously.  
  
"You let me in on anything you know about Voldemort." Hermione opened her mouth to say no, but James butted in.  
  
"Sure thing, rich-bitch." He said coolly. Draco nodded, then turned around and started back to the school, leaving Hermione and James alone, pondering their relationship.  
  
Of course, Draco had other plans. He had those two idiotic Gryffindors right where he wanted them. So he could use them a bit, then throw them away. Draco smiled. Sometimes life was just so nice and simple.  
  
10:00 P.M.  
  
"Hmm." Severus grumbled to himself. He was having trouble thinking right now, being that he had a headache. He hissed softly as a deep passionate red color filled his head. Wherever his brother was, he was sure was having a grand time with someone. A soft knock on the door made him look up, startled. Harry Potter stuck his head in the office uncertainly.  
  
"Sir? Have you seen Hermione?" he asked nervously.  
  
"Is she not in the common room? And Potter, I believe it's past curfew. Why are you, and Granger, out of your common room?" Severus asked, surprised.  
  
"Hermione's always out like this, and I was just wondering if she might be working on some kind of potion, as it seems to be a very Hermione thing to do." Harry admitted with a sheepish grin.  
  
"I have not seen her since dinner." Severus replied, but his mind was churning with the possibility of where the girl might be.  
  
"Sorry to bother you, Sir. I'll go now." Harry was just about to leave when Snape said the most unusual thing in the world.  
  
"I'll watch for her if she's down here. Goodnight, and tell Filch if he finds you that you have permission to be out of you common room." Harry nodded, then left the room, feeling odd. Snape was actually being nice to him for a change. It hit Harry when he got back to his common room. The map. The marauders map! Yes, he could use it to find Hermione. Racing up the stairs, he flipped open his trunk and pulled the map out, scanning the blank paper.  
  
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He whispered, his heart thumping eagerly. He stopped upon the sudden realization. She wasn't on here! No, she had to be. But she wasn't! That meant she wasn't on the Hogwarts grounds. "Ron! Ron, get up!" He hissed.  
  
"What?" Ron snapped angrily. "You better have a good reason for waking me up, you idiot."  
  
"I do. Hermione isn't in the school grounds."  
  
"What? Well, she has your cloak." Ron replied.  
  
""Yeah, but the map should show, even with an invisibility cloak on." Harry said swiftly. Rons' face paled.  
  
"She must be just outside of the border in the forbidden forest." He answered in bewilderment.  
  
"Should we go check?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think so." Ron whispered back, careful not to wake the others. The two got up and Ron slid his robes on. But when they got to the common room Harry stopped.  
  
"We'll never find her. And without the cloak, we'll get caught." He whispered in dismay. Ron shook his head.  
  
"You're right. We should go to Dumbledore."  
  
"Ron, wait. What if she isn't lost? What if the person she is seeing is with her, outside the grounds? I bet Hermione knew we would try to find her on the map, to see who she was with!" Ron stared at Harry, then sighed.  
  
"I guess you're right, there's nothing to worry about. But what if she's with a slytherin?"  
  
"It's not our decision. Let's go back to bed." The two scrambled back up the stairs, feeling just a little bit better about things. 


	22. When Werewolved Are NOT Okay

Cut this chapter in half to give you a cliffhanger. And this, my fiends, is thanks to Betty Anne Poopy Anne, sittin on the can. Keep flaming, I really enjoy marshmallows.  
  
{I'm 12, not eleven, and where I come from, not ONE of the 12 year olds don't swear. For fucks' sake, half of us aren't even virgins, so blahhh! {Sticks tongue out at you}  
  
Enjoy!  
  
chapter #22  
  
Friday 14th , September. {7:00 P.M.}  
  
"Now, Professor Snape is gonna take you two into the forest. You see, he's runnin' out of wolfsbane. So you two behave yourselves, okay? It's dangerous in there, bein' a full moon and all." Hagrid said quickly, flashing Hermione a sympathetic look.  
  
"Come on, you two. It's foolish behavior that got you here in the first place." Snape ordered. Draco and Hermione glanced at each other nervously.  
  
"Ern, Sir? What if we find some werewolves?" Hermione asked nervously.  
  
"Miss Granger, you have nothing to worry about. If you stay close together they're more likely to be scared of you." Snape replied. Draco snorted.  
  
"Yeah, more likely, but there isn't any guarantee that they will stay away from us." Snape dug in his pocket and waved his wand in front of Draco, who blinked.  
  
"There's your guarantee, now come on." Hermione glanced at the nervous slytherin.  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, Malfoy. Professor Snape is right, werewolves won't hunt you down if you're in a group." She said with a smile.  
  
"Come along." The two teenagers scrambled to keep up with Snapes' long, swift strides. It was dark in the forest, but Snape held a lantern in his hand, and his wand in the other hand, making them feel a bit more secure. Finally they came to a stop. Hermione looked around, feeling an uneasy prickle down her back. James wasn't very far from where they were. Just about a mile to the left.  
  
"What do we do?" Draco asked doubtfully. Hermione groaned.  
  
"Honestly, weren't you listening to Hagrid?"  
  
"No. I have better things to do than to listen to that."  
  
"Quit bickering, you two. Now, take these bags and collect as much wolfsbane as possible. It's the little flower, see there? I only need the blossom, though, and don't pull them out by the root, as that would be wasting." Snape said, handing them each little pocket knives.  
  
"Uck! My hands are all dirty!" Draco muttered in disgust a while later. Hermione grinned. It wasn't that bad. Nothing to be nervous about. Besides, her bag was already half full.  
  
10 minutes later...  
  
"Did you hear that?" Draco whispered. Hermione shrugged, then stiffened.  
  
"Yes." The low growl came again, causing Snape to look up.  
  
"Oh dear." The two looked where Snapes' wand was pointing. It was crouching, blanketed by the darkness, it's yellow eyes peering hungrily out at them "Werewolves." Snape added in bitter realization. Dracos face paled in horror.  
  
"Werewolves? AHHH!" He screamed and took off, running hard to the left of them. Snape tried to call the boy back, but Hermione had already started to pull on his robes.  
  
"Professor, please, let's get out of here." The wolf snarled then took off after Draco, bounding swiftly and easily through the forest. Snape shook his head.  
  
"Foolish boy. Come on, Miss Granger, let's .." Her professor could not finish his sentence. Something was on top of him, snarling viciously. "RUN, RUN HERMIONE!" He screamed. Hermione spun around, back towards the castle, then stopped. No, she really ought to help Snape. Looking back Hermione wasn't sure what to do. The werewolf looked up at her, wondering if he should bite the girl or the man. It sprang at Hermione, knocking her to the ground.  
  
"Oof !" Hermione gasped as the beast pushed her to the ground.  
  
"Miss Granger." Snape whispered. A flash of red-hot anger raced through his mind as the wolf pushed her with his nose, farther away from Snape. "Where are you." Severus thought wildly. A noise filled the air suddenly, causing the werewolf to look up. Severus could identify the sound immediately. Hoofbeats.  
  
Hermione raised her head as the deer galloped into the clearing, lowering his head and charging straight at the werewolf. It yelped and ran, then turned and leapt onto the stags' back. The animals' head shot up, and he reared, falling back on top of the wolf. It yowled, scrambling up and running as fast as it could away from the angry stag. The stag charged again, barely missing the wolf, who took off galloping into the forest.  
  
"Oh, James." Hermione whispered before fainting from shock and exhaustion. The stag lowered his head and nudged the small girl gently.  
  
"Get away from her you." Severus faltered as the stag disappeared, and a man took it's place.  
  
"What?" the man asked, straightening up and stiffening. "Severus?" Severus struggled to his feet and stared at the deceased man that he looked up to for protection.  
  
"I..I don't believe it. James? Is it. is it really you?" 


	23. Talk About Family

I cut the chapter in half again, so there's a nice lovely cliffhanger at the end. And thanks to ALL of my reviewers, I mean, this story is still being updated because of the support, otherwise, I would have taken the story down. Keep reviewing, you guys are the best!!!!  
  
Chapter 23  
  
October 27th, Tuesday. {8:30, P.M.}  
  
Hermione, Harry, and Ron all sat by the fire in the common room, thinking things over. They were surprised that Snape had not been turned into a werewolf. Or Draco, for that matter. Ironically, the most popular belief of what happened in the forest was that Snape had heroically saved the two students, fighting off the werewolf with his bare hands.  
Yet another rumor, this one more stranger than the first one, was that Professor Lupin had saved them, which really was quite impossible. Lupin had been in his office with a generous amount of wolfsbane potion.  
And then there was the last belief of what the incident was all about, and this one scared Hermione, because it was so close to the truth. A select few students with wild imaginations swore that the deer who had accompanied Hermione and Snape to the edge of the forest, trotting warily behind them, was somehow connected to the werewolf attack.  
  
"Well," Harry finally spoke. "I suppose the Halloween feast will be pretty good this year, don't you think?" Hermione just nodded. Ron, on the other hand, leapt right into a heavy discussion about food and the party planned later in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione couldn't help but think that the feast wouldn't be as fun for her. Harry would be with Ginny, who would be with Fred, George, and Ron. Of course, Hermione could always follow the twins around. They were certainly friendly enough. But really, she wasn't in any mood to have a tongue the size of her head, referring to the tong-tongue-toffee incident.  
  
"What about you, Hermione? Think it'll be fun?" Ron asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Hermione muttered distractedly. "It should be fairly interesting." Harry sighed, then looked at Hermione very closely.  
  
"You look worried and tired, Mione. Maybe you ought to get to bed." He said gently. Hermione opened her mouth, but the look on Harrys' face told her she better not argue with him. She nodded and walked slowly back up to her dorm, wondering why she would even bother to think about denying Harry. It was so hard to lie to him, because he always seemed so honest. With that the exhausted girl collapsed on her bed.  
  
"The princess has arrived." Said a soft voice. Hermione leapt out of the bed in shock.  
  
"Who's there?" she demanded, her voice sounding strange to her own ears.  
  
"The one and only." A tall figure slipped out from the blankets and straightened up, looking at Hermione carefully. She grinned when she finally recognized who it was.  
  
"James! I haven't seen you for a week!" Hermione threw her arms around his waist, being she couldn't very well reach his shoulders.  
  
"Yeah, I've been exploring a bit. And I've been thinking, too. If we told Harry."  
  
"James, wait." Hermione quickly cast a silencing charm on the door, so nobody would overhear their conversation. "Okay, what?"  
  
"If you told Harry I was alive, Voldemort would use that and run with it. He would probably use some screwy kind of logic to get to Harry through me, right?"  
  
"Probably. Why?" Hermione was deeply curious now.  
  
"Well, would Harry be safer if he didn't know if Voldemort ever caught me, or would it be safer for more people to know, so if I do get caught, I could be rescued?" James asked uncertainly. Hermione stared at him, baffled.  
  
"It's always Harry isn't it? That's all you ever worry about, right?" She asked finally.  
  
"No!" James answered with a laugh. "I worry about you, I worry about Sirius, I worry about Remus, I worry about Snape. Hell, I even worry about Lucious Malfoy sometimes." He finished grinning at her.  
  
"Oh, well now I know why you can't find time to worry about yourself." Hermione answered sarcastically. James chuckled and slid his arm around her waist. Hermione sighed and buried her head in his chest, content with their current situation.  
  
"You know what?" James murmured in her ear.  
  
"What?" Hermione pulled away and gazed up at him lovingly.  
  
"If you weren't so young, I would be on the floor begging you to marry me."  
  
"Oh, well, you could always just wait, James." Hermione said lightly. "And. I don't think that would have gone over very well with my father, if he had found out about the age gap."  
  
"Oh yeah? Do you miss your parents?"  
  
"I hate to sound cruel," Hermione said with a sigh. "But I don't miss them that much." James chuckled.  
  
"I didn't miss my mother when she died." He replied. "And you know what? I don't think little brother did either. Oops!" James closed his mouth a second too late.  
  
"You have a brother?" Hermione asked in shock.  
  
"No." James muttered, turning his head away. Hermione plunked her hands on her hips.  
  
"James! Don't just hint on it and turn away!" she reached up and straightened his ragged, unclean robes across his chest.  
  
"Yes, I have a brother, happy?" James gave in with a sigh.  
  
"Yes, I'm very happy. Now tell me, what's your little brothers' name?"  
  
End of chapter. I'm so evil. Heh, heh, heh 


	24. Dumbledores' Idea

I'm so grateful for all the reviews I'm getting. I just had this big nightmare that everyone would leave and stop reading after the fifth book came out, but the reviews actually sped up!!!!  
My friend gave me this idea that Hogwarts used to be full of bad stuff right up to James' sixth year. Don't point the blame at me if it's dumb.  
  
Chapter # 24  
  
"You said WHAT???!!!!!!!" Severus screamed up at the taller man.  
  
"You heard me the first time, I told her I have a little brother." James stared at Severus, knowing he could stare down a hippogriff if he wanted to.  
  
"If it gets out, James, that you have a brother, then you're in trouble." Severus growled.  
  
"Relax, man." James answered calmly. "I'd trust her with my life."  
  
"Don't think you and your little lover gave me the slip, James. I know what you and her have between yourselves." Severus answered rather snidely.  
  
"You can't tell anyone, Severus. They'll take me away from her, I just know it!" James sank dismally into the chair he was sitting on. Severus stared at the man, for he had taken on a dismayed look.  
  
"It's no wonder." He said bitterly. "She's twenty years younger than you."  
  
"I know, but still, I really love her, Severus. You have to understand." James whispered. Severus blinked. Were those tears in the other mans' eyes?  
  
"James?"  
  
"What?" The man sniveled quietly.  
  
"Your secret is safe with me." James lifted his head out of his hands, eyes shining with unspilled tears of happiness and sorrow.  
  
A/N: don't know 'bout you, but all this poetic justice and righteousness and tears and shit is makin' me sick..  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
The Halloween feast started as usual, with the students cheerfully chattering as supper was served. Hermione sat down beside Fred and George, as there was no other place to sit. Harry and Ginny were talking amiably about quidditch, and Ron was occupied with a fourth year from Ravenclaw. Hermione sighed, feeling strangely like an outcast. Everybody seemed to be having more fun than her at the moment. Fred noticed the gloomy girl and grinned, hoping to cheer her up.  
  
"So, what's new for you?" Hermione looked at Fred oddly.  
  
"Nothing much." She said with a sigh. Fred chuckled.  
  
"You look a bit under the weather, Hermione. Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine, thanks. Just really bored." Hermione said absentmindedly. George turned around and looked at Hermione in surprise.  
  
"Why aren't you with Ron and Harry?" he asked.  
  
"Well, Ron's rather preoccupied at the moment." Hermione answered through gritted teeth. "And Harry is flouncing around like a love-struck 12 year old, so I decided to sit with you. And if you have a problem with that, I'll leave."  
  
"Whoa, I didn't know you were so peeved right now, or I wouldn't have asked." George replied in surprise. Then, trying to think of a way to cheer her up, George pulled out a fake wand. It crackled momentarily, then turned into something that looked suspiciously like a condom. "Oops." George muttered. "That was NOT meant to happen."  
  
"Oh, darn." Fred mumbled, picking up the latex condom and handing it to Hermione. "Here, your Romeo might want this." Hermione stared at the two embarrassed twins, then burst into laughter.  
  
"You guys are so weird. " She said as the laughter died down.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Fred mumbled. "Man, I can't believe you made one of them turned into a condom. That should have been saved for Harry and Ginny." He added to George, who snickered.  
  
"Ahem." Everybody stopped talking as the headmaster stood up. "I have a very important announcement to make. Because of the rise of the dark lord last year, third years and above will go to Hogsmeade only three times, rather than six. And even then, they should not wander the streets alone." Dumbledore said gravely. Everyone from third year to seventh started to protest angrily, muttering to their friends.  
  
"What? That means only three trips to stock up on pranks!" Fred muttered angrily. "How could they do this to us?"  
  
"I will, however, have something extra for third years and above." Dumbledore added. The hall went quiet. "Before the fall of the dark lord, eighteen years ago on this very day, Hogwarts had more extra things than they do now. However, these things were cancelled for a reason, and not just because it was safe to go to Hogsmeade when the dark lord was still around, but for reasons I'm sure you will find out. The parties thrown in the great hall back then were fun for third years right up to seventh years. They weren't too childish, or too adult." Dumbledore shifted his gaze from the students to Snape.  
  
"What's he on about?" Ron whispered.  
  
"We have a professor in here who has seen the worst of the aftermath when there are dances at Hogwarts. The worst is unknown to me, as the students gave no clue of what they did after their parties, but I can assure you, I have quite the list of baddies. For example, drugs, and alcohol. Two things Hogwarts neither needs nor wants. Rape, and sexual assault, and prostitution, just to name a few." Dumbledore stopped. "After the feast, third years and up will stay behind, and we will discuss these issues." The students immediately started to chatter.  
  
Severus smiled grimly. Oh, he remembered, and Dumbledore was right, nothing good came out of those whacked out dances. And Severus had seen many things that not a lot of people knew about. Drugs and alcohol? That was putting it lightly. Nobody had known how the muggle drugs got in the school, and nobody cared. Really, you went to a party and someone slipped in some L.S.D, and the first time you try something it could kill you. But it had been like that.  
  
"So, Harry asked uncertainly. "What do you think Dumbledore has in store for us?" 


	25. Life is Like A Dance FUN FUN FUN!

I split this chapter in two, so now I'm done chapter twenty six as well! Read on, sorry if it's short. Oh, and by the way, Betty Ann, it's one thing for you to diss me and my story, but if you make any comments about Remusgurrl, I'll take it that you're just jealous because she's got a lot BETTER stories than you could EVER write. {Yes, I've read them. They're actually very good.} You are a very immature person, trying to gain attention from others by what you call "part of the game" Criticism is part of the game, yes, but droning on and on about how CRAPPY my story is has nothing to do with criticism. That's just childish.  
There, now that I got all my maturity out of me, YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING SNOT WITH A SHITTY LIFE. I will from now on ignore you.  
  
Chapter # 25  
  
Dumbledore gazed at the students that remained in the hall, somehow feeling that this idea might work. Mcgonagall had her doubts, but, well, they would try it.  
  
"Now, I apologize for making you anxious. And I will tell you what the staff have come to agree with. There will be dances at special times of the year, for example, Christmas, or perhaps New years Day." He said cheerfully. Few students were disappointed. Most of them cheered and clapped, pleased that they would have some fun this year rather than working and being bored all the time.  
  
"Well, that makes stuff a bit better." Fred muttered. George smiled.  
  
"Sure does." He answered. Hermione glanced at Fred, who seemed slightly disappointed.  
  
"Oh, cheer up, Fred." She said lightly, stifling a yawn. Fred stared at her, then chuckled.  
  
"You were the one so down in the dumps earlier." He shot back.  
  
"Well, I'm not anymore." Hermione answered, then quieted as Dumbledore began to speak again.  
  
"However, these dances will be carefully watched for any unnecessary behavior. Now, off you go. There will be a trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow, and you can get anything you need there." The headmaster finished. Hermione stood up with the other Gryffindors and caught up with Harry Ron and Ginny.  
  
"So, what do you think about this?" Harry asked cheerily. Hermione shrugged.  
  
"I suppose it's alright." She said absentmindedly.  
  
"Well, I don't see why on earth Dumbledore is worried about anything bad happening. It's been a rather normal year so far." Ron added curiously.  
  
"I know what you mean." Harry said with a laugh. "And believe me, I'm grateful for that. Although, it's rather odd, being Voldemort just returned, that everything is so quiet."  
  
"Yeah." Ginny murmured. "It's kinda unnerving that he's out there, just waiting or something."  
  
"Unnerving? It's downright disturbing!" Ron said loudly. Several people glanced at him and snickered to themselves.  
  
"Well, some things could be going on unnoticed." Hermione said skeptically. "There's probably something going on, just nobody knows yet." Harry nodded, seeing her logic in the case.  
And indeed, not everything was quiet and content in the wizarding world…..  
{scary music starts playing}  
  
"What! You mean to tell me he KNOWS that I'm aware of his double-agent  
role?" Voldemort demanded, slamming his fist on the table. Lucious  
grimaced.  
  
"I didn't say he knows for sure, but I think he's rather suspicious."  
  
"I need him here, Lucius. He is far too valuable to lose because of some slippery little prick! Who will complete the potion? And who else has such close ties to Hogwarts? Severus Snape is the only living psychic twin, besides his brother, who, might I add, is supposedly dead!" Voldemort snarled. He was furious that Snape had caught on. Well, maybe he hadn't, but he suspected something.  
  
"I don't think you need to worry about his brother. From what I've made of the situation, the man is huddled up in the forest, lost, alone, hungry, and insane." Lucius said calmly. But His master exploded at him again.  
  
"If he is out there, alive, I want him here!" He screamed, pulling his wand out and aiming it at Lucius. "I don't think I've made myself very clear, Mr. Malfoy. I need those two wizards. Together, their power can either thwart me, or help me rule the wizarding world and destroy the muggle one." Voldemort finished in a deadly calm voice.  
  
"Yes, My lord. But, what about Harry Potter? Do you not have plans for him?"  
  
"Lucius, you are not bright enough to see my logic, are you? When my dear little Harry finds out that his father is alive, we will kidnap James and Severus. I will try to persuade them, but, if that does not work, being Harry will undoubtedly come after his daddy dearest, we will threaten to kill the boy if those two do not help." Voldemort said softly. Lucius frowned. Not the perfect plan, but he shouldn't doubt his master. The dark Lord laughed and dismissed Lucius with a quick wave of his hand.  
  
"Oh Hermione, I love you! You light up my life, someday I promise, you'll be my wife!" Severus threw a quill right at the man and it hit him in the head. James closed his mouth and glared across the table. Severus resumed marking essays  
  
"Would you shut up! And if you do sing, please sing about something other than your infatuation with one of my students!" Severus snapped.  
  
"Severus, you smell like bubotubar pus!'"  
  
"Come here." Severus growled. "So I can hurt you. Severely." James grinned.  
  
"Oh, I crack myself up sometimes." He said with a snicker.  
  
"Oh yeah, you're just a riot." Severus muttered. "You're lucky I don't kick you out, back into that forest." James stopped laughing.  
  
"Sorry. Just a joke, man. Just a joke."  
  
"Apology accepted." Severus answered, then, just for the hell of it, sang snidely. "Prongs, he likes to wear thongs!" James' face turned a tinge bit red.  
  
"That's not funny, you know. That's just mean!" Severus rolled his eyes.  
  
"And you're never mean to me. Nope, you're always so nice to me." He muttered, ever the sarcastic Snape. James grinned.  
  
"Grumpy old snarker you are." He murmured, watching as his enemy started marking the essays once more. 


	26. THe Problem With Alcohol

Chapter # 26  
  
A distinct rumble in his stomach made James tilt his head. Severus had not given him anything to eat, leaving a very hungry Potter to find food. He glanced warily across the table at the sleeping wizard. Severus' hair fluttered as he breathed out, giving him a comical, almost innocent look. He had always been a light sleeper, James knew, so it would be hard to slip by unnoticed. James got up, none the less, for his stomach betrayed him as he snuck towards the door. Damn, he didn't have his cloak. He had given it to Hermione because she had said Harry had been getting suspicious. A soft rumble interrupted him, and he grinned.  
  
"Better feed the machine." He murmured with a smile, then slipped out of Snapes' chambers, past his secret stores, past the students ingredients, through the dim classroom, and straight out into an empty corridor. His marauding instincts kicked in like second nature to him, and James soon was tiptoeing across the great hall, towards the secret corridor. He came to a stop in front of a picture of a bowl of fruit. Reaching up, he traced his finger across the pear and the portrait swung open. James slid in expertly, and was greeted by very sleepy house-elves.  
  
"Master Potter, sir?"  
  
"Dobby, hey, can you do me a favor? I didn't have any dinner, maybe you could get me something." James asked with a smile. The house-elves perked up and immediately started preparing James a first class meal. Three minutes later the man sat down and started to eat the food that the house-elves had gotten him.  
  
"Master Potter, if you does not minds Dobby asking, what's Master Potter doings at Hogwarts?" Dobby asked, watching the man devour the food in front of him. James grinned. For some reason, he had always found talking to house-elves amusing, and an excellent way to pass the time.  
  
"Well, Dobbs, ya see, I met a girl, and she's really nice. Love, you might call it. It's a lot stronger than just friendship."  
  
"Like Harry Potter and his Weezies' sister??" Dobby asked curiously.  
  
"What's a Weezy?" James couldn't help but be curious. So Harry did have a girlfriend, the sly little bugger!  
  
"Weezy is Harry Potters' noble friend. He would do anythings for Harry Potter! Weezies' sister, she is Harry Potters' most favorite girl. Master Potter, you know what he says to Dobby, he says, "Dobby, nothings like a walks with my girl. I loves my girl." He says to Dobby. And his Weezy laughs, and his Weezy calls him Snotter." Dobby said with a shy smile.  
  
"Oh. Does Harry have any other friends?" James asked with a smile, knowing he would hear Hermiones' name. Dobby nodded, always very willing to offer information.  
  
"His other friend. She is very nice to us house- elves. Miss Hermione says, "You should be paid, Dobby!", Dobby says, he is being paid and she thinks all house-elves should get paid."  
  
"I see. Dobby, can you keep a secret?"  
  
"Of course, sir. House-elves is supposed to keep secrets!"  
  
"Hermione, that's the girl I'm in love with." Dobby blinked, then fainted on the spot. James chuckled. He expected that kind of reply, so instead of fussing, he dragged Dobby to a corner and let him lay there, while the plate in front of James continued to get emptier. Oddly enough, it seemed to refill every fifteen minutes.  
  
{An incredibly long two hours later}  
  
A very drunken, plastered James Potter talked happily with the house-elves, his voice slurred from all the firewhiskey.  
  
"It was like, I saw the light." he slurred, stumbling over his words. Several house-elves had gone back to sleeping, but just as many were sitting on the floor with James, talking through hiccups and burps. "All this green light, it was like, fireworks!" he took another swig from the bottle of firewhiskey and giggled, splashing the liquor all over his front. Dobby, who had woken up long ago, burped, then froze, his ears twitching slightly. Somebody was coming, and he knew Master Potter really shouldn't be there, but Dobby didn't say anything. He was too tired to explode and yell at any human right now. The kitchens' residents all stopped, including James, as the portrait started to swing open. 


	27. Professor, I can Explain It

It's a crappy chapter, but chapter twenty-eight.. THE QUIDDITCH GAME!!!!!!!!  
  
Chapter # 27  
  
Hermione stared, shocked at what she saw. It was James, she knew that for sure, but he was, well, he was drunk. Very drunk. He swayed and stared nervously at her, his eyes drooping slightly. Finally he spoke to her.  
  
"Hey, whatthefuckinhellsgoninonhereman?" He slurred. Hermione caught only the middle of what he was babbling.  
  
"James, what are you doing here?" she asked softly. He regarded her with the calmness of a drunken fool.  
"Good question. What are you doing here?"  
  
"James, I'm serious!"  
  
"Really? I was under the impression you were Hermione." James answered with a sly, plastered grin. Hermione bit her lip. She had never been around drunk men before, and it made her rather nervous.  
  
"James, Dumbledore has this wacky idea for dances and I thought maybe."  
  
"Ahh, I already know that. Snapey told me."  
  
"Snape knows that you're."  
  
"POTTER!!!!!"  
Severus stormed into the kitchens, his face livid with rage. He was shocked to find Hermione there, but he ignored her.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
"If you have failed to notice, I'm trying to neck out with my lover." James replied, smirking up at Severus.  
  
"Don't you ever listen? I told you to stay in my office!" Snape snarled angrily. Hermione flinched and watched as James got up off the floor, a determined look in his eyes.  
  
"Listen here, you big greasy git, I was hungry, you were sleeping, so I left. I came to the kitchens, had dinner, and was offered a drink. After couple of drinks I was feeling good. After a dozen I'm fuckin' drunk, alright? Got a problem with that?"  
  
"Be reasonable, you fool. You are drunk, I hardly think this is a good time for your wittiness." Snape replied scathingly. Hermione winced at Snapes' cruel voice. James just slurred and stumbled as he sat down on the floor once more.  
  
"Professor, I can explain it." she stumbled over her words as though she too had been drinking too much. "it's not what it seems, me and Mr. Potter, oh, please don't tell anyone, oh no, what'll I do if someone finds out?" she mumbled to herself.  
  
"Miss Granger, be silent." Snape demanded, turning to James. "James, stay here with me. And you, to your common room, don't let me catch you here again." He glared at her fiercely and Hermione scurried towards the door, glancing back at her drunken lover in uncertainty and confusion.  
  
"You idiot!" Severus groaned. "What in bloody hells' name are you doing, trying to get caught? I thought I explained to you, Voldemort wants you, alive! You have to be careful! Do you want to get Harry and Hermione killed? Is that what you're trying to do?" his voice rose steadily louder, until he was shouting. "What were you thinking?"  
  
"I wasn't!" James screamed in frustration, tears forming in his eyes. Severus backed away, shocked. Never, had he thought he would see James Potter cry again. There had been once, when James' father had died, again when his step mother died, and again when Harry was born. Severus thought he would never see the man cry again. He was wrong.  
  
"I wasn't thinking, and I'm sorry, I just wasn't!" he sounded like a helpless child now. "I want to see my son, but I can't, I want to marry Hermione, I lover her so much, but I can't, because I need her parents permission, and they're fucking dead! I want to see my friends, but I can't, because if Voldemort learns that they know, he'll want them dead too! Fuck it, why the hell did I even come back?" he broke down right on the kitchen floor, sobbing, one hand covering his face in humiliation.  
  
"James, I. I don't know what to say, I never realized you were this close to the edge. I'm sorry, really, I am, and don't say you have no reason to live, because you do. I'm sorry, James. I'll forgive you if you forgive me." Severus murmured, bending down and gently touching the mans' shaking shoulder. "Alright?"  
  
James sobbed in reply.  
  
{ common room}  
  
"Hermione, where were you?" Ron asked as a puffing, exhausted Hermione slid into the common room at an absurd time of three in the morning.  
  
"I was going for a walk." She lied quickly, then eyed Harry and Ron suspiciously. "What are you two doing out of bed?"  
  
"Waiting for you." Ron replied, yawning. Harry looked up at her and smiled wearily.  
  
"Dream."  
  
"You had a dream? Oh Harry, what was it about?" Hermione asked anxiously. Harry smiled.  
  
"It's alright, Hermione. It was just something about Voldemort, that's all. Nothing important." Hermione studied the boys' tired eyes, those brilliant greens eyes that said so much without saying anything at all. She could tell. Harry always looked like this after dreams.  
  
Especially when he lied. 


	28. The Quidditch Game

Enjoy, and review! Please?  
  
Chapter # 28  
  
"And welcome to the first game of the season, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw! Oh, this'll be a match to remember, Potters' first time as captain, he's got two new players, lets' see what they've got!" Lee Jordan yelled out. "And they're in the air! Spinnets' got the quaffle, neat pass to Bell, back-handed to Granger, she shoots... GRYFFINDOR SCORES!!!!! "  
  
The roar of the crowd filled Hermiones' ears as she whipped the ball at the left hoop, and it soared easily through. She looped and spun in celebration, then cast an eye out for Harry. He was down by the Hufflepuff bleachers, whizzing back and forth in search of the snitch. Cho Chang was hot on his heels, pushing her old broomstick as fast as it would go to keep up with Harrys' sleek Firebolt.  
  
"Hermione, watch out!" Alicia screamed. Hermione spun around on her broom. Bludger! Fred was after it in a flash of red hair, with George hovering beside her.  
  
"Watch out for 'em, Hermione. They're vicious today! Just concentrate on the quaffle. Harry'll be fine." Hermione nodded and chased after on her nimbus 2002 , a broom not quite as speedy as the Firebolt, but better than the other two Nibus'. Fred and George had bought it for her, though Hermione had no clue where on earth they got the money.  
  
"Uh oh, Terry Boots' got the quaffle, he's goin' for the score, he shoots. Beautiful save by yet another Weasley on the team, way top go Ron! Watch out for those bludgers there, Granger!" Hermione soared out of the way and grabbed the quaffle from another Ravenclaw chasers' hand, bolting across the open field and passing to Alicia. She shot and the quaffle swept neatly through the hoop, missing the keepers' hands by inches.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Hermione grinned and spun around as the quaffle was beat to the other end of the field. She sped off after it, soaring past Harry and neatly bumping Cho Chang off of her course. The older girl shot her a death glare of pure poison before swiveling around and pursuing Harry.  
  
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Harry flew easily over the field, glancing back at Cho in annoyance. She had been following him the whole game and was getting very angry. She was not very close behind him and she kept her eyes constantly on Harrys' movements.  
  
"Damn." He mumbled as he saw a flash of gold fly by the slytherin bleachers. Draco screamed at Cho and pointed in a general direction of where the snitch was. Harry looked around, pasted a look of fake concentration, then dived straight towards the ground. Screams erupted from the stands.  
  
"Potters' after the snitch, Changs' following him, she doesn't stand a chance with that broom she has. Potters' headed straight to the ground, Chang's following him... he pulls out at the last second! Ooh, that little Ravenclaw's' gonna be sore tomorrow! Potters' pulled a wronski feint!"  
  
Harry grinned and bolted to where some of the teachers were sitting. The snitch was hovering just above Lupins' head. It bolted and stopped right in front of Snapes' eyes.  
  
"Oh no, RAVENCLAW SCORES!" Lee Jordan hollered out.  
  
"YEAH!" The Ravenclaws cheered happily. Harry zoned in right on Snape and flung himself forward. The snitch flew right between his legs and over somewhere near the Gryffindor bleachers. Harry slid through the air and came face to face with Snape.  
  
"Uh, good day sir!" he yelled before speeding off. Harry grinned to himself as he scanned the pitch. Cho was back in the air, following him again.  
  
"She'll never learn." Harry muttered, racing down towards the slytherin stand. He glanced quickly at Hermione and felt a twinge of strange pride. She was a very good chaser. And Ron, he was a good keeper.  
  
"Grangers' got the quaffle and.. What the heck was that?" Lee Jordans' voice cried in alarm.  
  
Harry looked back at Hermione and gasped. Black smoke was whirling around her, and she couldn't see. The quaffle was clutched tightly to her chest.  
  
"PASS IT HERE, HERMIONE!" Alicia screamed. The terrified girl tossed the quaffle, and started choking on the smoke.  
  
"Hermione, hold on!" Harry yelled, racing towards his friend, who was disappearing in the smog of blackness.  
  
"HELP!"  
  
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Hermiones' eyes fluttered open, and cold gray eyes met hers. She blinked and, at first she thought she was looking at Draco Malfoy, until she realized he was far too big to be Draco.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite little mudblood chit." Lucius hissed. Hermiones' eyes widened.  
  
"Mr. M-m-Malfoy.. How did I get here?" she stuttered nervously.  
  
"I suppose an explanation is in order. Perhaps Wormtail will explain. I haven't the time for this. I was given orders to make sure you woke up."  
  
"Given orders? Sir, I don't understand. the quidditch game. what happened?" Hermione questioned, her fear and confusion mounting.  
  
"I don't expect a mudblood to. As for your quidditch game, Gryffindor won, thanks to your star seeker. That, however, is not the most important matter at hand. I must leave, no mischief on your part, mudblood, and I will be right back, so don't worry none." Lucius got up and strolled out, slamming the heavy metal door behind him.  
  
Hermione looked around in nervous curiosity. It was a cave, the ceiling above was rocky and jagged, the halls were the same, the bed that she was strapped to was the only thing in the room. Hermione struggled against the metal bands around her wrists, but to no avail.  
  
Ten minutes later, footsteps thudded down the hall outside the door, and Lucius reappeared. Peter Pettigrew followed him, shifting uneasily.  
  
And one more person entered the room, and Hermione gasped in realization. It was Lord Voldemort. 


	29. Lord Voldemort

Well, thanks for all the reviews, I appreciate it, but updating so often is hard because I'm a very busy person. But don't worry, I will finish this story!  
  
Chapter #29  
  
"Headmaster, I'm sorry, I should have know that this was too big for James and I to handle." Severus bowed his head in dismay.  
  
"It is not your fault, Severus. Although you should have told me about James earlier," with that Dumbledore glanced at the trembling James, who looked down at his knees instead of straight at Dumbledore. "It's not James' fault either. However, I do hope you have both learned your lesson." The two nodded sullenly.  
  
"What about Hermione? How are we gonna get her back?" James demanded, his voice cracking, as though he was ready to break down.  
  
"I have faith in you and Severus, James. You are pyrokenetic, are you not?"  
  
"Yes." James whispered. He had long ago leaned that he had the ability to control fire. It came with him being a Fire Prince.  
  
"And Severus, you posses great powers as well. You are a soul prober, are you not?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.  
  
"Yes." Severus whispered, a strange look forming in his dark blue eyes.  
  
"James, prepare for your rescue. Severus, come with me. I must speak to the students. And no, James, I am not going to tell them about you." Dumbledore finished softly. James sighed.  
  
"I'll go get ready."  
  
"Come along, Severus. It will be alright. You'll see, my boy."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"Please, everyone, calm down, we'll get the situation under control." Mcgonagall called over the nervous whispers of the students. Dumbledore swept into the great hall, followed by an uneasy Snape.  
  
"Hush, students. I know this is very alarming to you all, but rest assured, Hermione Granger will not die." Dumbledore spoke reassuringly. Snape shifted back and forth in his seat next to the headmaster. "As you've undoubtedly suspected, this is the work of Lord Voldemort, I will not deny that, and yes, he has the choice of killing her. He will not, however, for there is something from us he wants."  
  
"He's after me!" Harry whispered in shock. Rons' face paled. "It's my fault she's gone!" Harry added. Ginny put a hand gently on Harrys' back.  
  
"No it's not, Harry." She said gently. Ron nodded.  
  
"It's not, really Harry." He whispered.  
  
"Now, before you jump to conclusions, it is Harry Potter that Lord Voldemort wants, not Hermione Granger. And two of our most powerful wizards will bring Hermione back safe and unharmed, do not worry. And for precautions, no mail will be sent or received for the next two weeks." At this Dumbledore sat down.  
  
"In the meantime, perhaps butterbeer and dessert will cheer you up." Dumbledore clapped his hands and food washed over the tables.  
  
Harry could eat nothing. He had lost his appetite.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
"What's the plan?" James asked softly.  
  
"We'll get to our designated spot around ten in the morning tomorrow. Then it'll take about two days to walk to Voldemorts' lair. We'll check things out for a while, then we'll either rescue Hermione or leave, depending on the circumstances. All in all, this could very well take a week at the most." Severus said softly. James sighed.  
  
"I hope they don't hurt her." He whispered. "I love her, I really do." Severus placed a hand on the other mans' shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry, James. We'll get her out of there, before Lucius gets at her." He said reassuringly.  
  
"I know, but I mean, I feel like this is all my fault." James sniffed and sat down.  
  
"It's not, James! You have to understand, this was unavoidable." Severus said urgently.  
  
"But if I had just left the poor thing alone, instead of falling in love with her, Voldemort wouldn't have went after her." James argued.  
  
"Yes he would have! He tried to kill her even before she met you! Remember?"  
  
"Of course I do." James glared tiredly at the other wizard.  
  
"It's because she's Harrys' friend, but James, there's' no use dwelling on why she's caught. We're gonna have to plan this out very carefully." Severus murmured. "Damn it, I hate that bloody bastard. Fucking Voldemort."  
  
"Uh, Severus?"  
  
"Yeah?" Severus raised his dark eyes to James' light blue ones.  
  
"Maybe do you think we might need a compass?" Severus grinned.  
  
"Oh yeah. Forgot about that." The two continued to check their items, unheeding of Dumbledore, who smiled slightly when he saw the two supposed enemies putting their heads together and thinking.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Hermione was in trouble. It was his fault. He knew it. Harry Potter got no sleep that night. 


	30. A Question of Truth

Chapter # 30  
  
Voldemort eyed Hermione with amusement.  
  
"This, I presume, is Hermione Granger?" he asked Lucius, who nodded.  
  
"Yes, my lord, this is Hermione Granger."  
  
"Hmm, the same Hermione who brewed Polyjuice potion at the absurd age of twelve? The same Hermione who can outsmart your snotty pureblood son? Harry Potters' friend?" Voldemort asked, walking over to Hermiones' bedside. He knelt down and slowly reached out a long, pale, skeletal finger. He placed it softly on her cheek. Hermione wished she could move away from his touch, but her body betrayed her. He traced her cheekbone and smiled.  
  
"What shall we do with her, My Lord?" Lucius asked quickly, watching Voldemort with his cold gray eyes.  
  
"Silence, Lucius. Patience is the way to a girls' heart. Hermione, do you know who I am?" Voldemort asked softly. Hermione nodded mutely.  
  
"You understand that I will kill you at the slightest detection of lies?"  
  
"Yes." Hermione whispered. She was powerless to say much, her throat was constricted with fear.  
  
"And do you understand that, if you wish, I could grant you great power?" Hermione looked up into those glaring red eyes.  
  
"I understand." She whispered.  
  
"Excellent. Then Lucius is right in saying that you are a fast learner. Hermione, my death eaters have many ways of torturing people to get answers. If you refuse to answer during our little talk, you will be punished, and another interrogation will take place with me. If you are still disobedient, I will allow the death eaters to beat you until you scream."  
  
"And if I tell the truth, and give you everything I know?" Hermione asked softly.  
  
"Perhaps I will grant you freedom. If, however, you refuse a third time, you do not want to know what will happen. I have little patience for stubborn teenagers." Hermione felt the remaining color drain from her face.  
  
"Err."  
  
"Now, Hermione, about Harry. What is his weakness?"  
  
"Uhh, you mean what hurts him the most? Well, he really can't stand Dementors." Hermione said truthfully. It was a harmless question, anyhow. Voldemort nodded softly.  
  
"And who is his closest friend?" Hermione gave him a hopeless look.  
  
"Ron Weasley."  
  
"Tell me, does Harry have a strong connection with Professor Lupin?"  
  
"Ern, I suppose. He gets' help from Lupin all the time for homework."  
  
"What do you know about Lupins' lycanthrope?"  
  
"It's caused him plenty of pain. Sir?"  
  
"Yes?" Voldemort looked startled that she even dare ask a question.  
  
"Why do you want to know this?" Hermione asked quietly.  
  
"Every little detail helps, Hermione. This however, is more like a test. If you answer all these questions truthfully, then you are capable of lending me information. If not, I might as well discard you."  
  
Hermione asked no more questions throughout their talk.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
Lucius watched the little girl carefully throughout the talk, watching for any signs of deception. There were none, and so Lucius would admit that she seemed truthful enough, if a bit reluctant to tell the truth.  
  
The talk finished, and Voldemort stood. He glanced over at Lucius and smiled cruelly.  
  
"Make sure you don't spoil her before she is done." He hissed, then stalked away. Lucius scowled, then turned to the Granger chit.  
  
"So, little mudblood, are you scared yet?" he asked, hoping to see fear in her eyes. There was nothing there but pure fire there, however.  
  
"I am not scared of you, Lucius Malfoy." She whispered, before turning her head away sharply. Lucius scowled.  
  
"You'll be sorry, you little wench, that you ever talked to me that way. I hope you understand that My Lord is only going easy on you because you have valuable information. As soon as he gets all the information he can, you'll be handed to the death eaters, and you don't want to know what we'll do to you." With that Lucius stalked away.  
  
"Bastard." Hermione mumbled softly.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********  
  
Hermione dreamed that night. It was a strange dream. She was sitting in a room, a comfortable-looking one, when James walked in. He grinned at her, that loving, you'll-never-leave-me grin.  
  
"Hey, love." He walked over and slipped a hand around her waist.  
  
"Mmmm." Hermione moaned, nuzzling her lover. She might as well enjoy it while it lasted, being this was only a dream.  
  
"I'm really sorry this happened." He murmured. Hermione noticed his voice was getting fuzzier, and her vision was fading.  
  
"Err, it's alright."  
  
"You were mad earlier. And I think you have a right to be mad. This could very well ruin your life." His voice was distant now, echoing and soft. "I mean, being pregnant is a big thing. I understand if you don't want me now and all that, I'd be willing t.." his voice disappeared all together and Hermione woke with a start, her eyes jerking open. She would have sat up, too, but the heavy metal chains on her wrists prevented it.  
  
Pregnant? Her? With James' baby? And he thought she wanted to leave him? She was confused at first, but slowly it dawned on her that it was just a dream. Just a bad dream, that was all.  
  
None the less, she stayed up for the remainder of the night, until, around nine in the morning, two masked death eaters arrived to take her somewhere else. 


	31. Pure Torture

Chapter # 31  
  
James stumbled as he followed Severus down the road through Hogsmeade, up towards the mountains. He had stayed up all night despite Severus telling him to get some sleep, and now he was regretting it, for he felt like he could collapse at any second.  
  
"Don't worry, James. Just behind this rock wall is where we're gonna apparate, so get ready, and for Gods' sake, I thought I told you to get some sleep." Severus snapped at the sleepy James.  
  
"I tried, but I was just so worried, I mean, what if they hurt her? Severus, do you think they'll hurt her?" he asked, yawning.  
  
"Well, they won't hurt her if they don't have a good reason to." Severus replied over his shoulder. "But if she lies, or doesn't tell them something they want to know, they'll beat her until she's almost dead."  
  
"Well," James muttered, furrowing his brow. "that's a comforting thought." They made their way around the towering mountain and stopped in a clear, flat spot.  
  
"You ready?" Severus asked quietly. James nodded.  
  
"I think so. Why can't we apparate somewhere else?"  
  
"Quit complaining, you wussy."  
  
"Hey, shut up grease ball. I've got enough to worry about, with Hermione in trouble." James snapped. He pulled out his wand, and the two glanced at each other. Severus went first, disappearing with a sizzle and a pop. James quickly followed.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
Severus landed on his feet and looked around. Behind him, the towering mountains rose in the distance. In front was vast grassy plains that seemed to stretch on forever, reaching towards the sky. James appeared with a popping noise.  
  
"Come on, Severus. Lets go." James walked quickly forward, glancing back at Severus. "Aren't you comin?"  
  
"Yeah." Severus mumbled. "Yeah, I'm coming." He followed James quickly and the two said little as they walked. It would be a day or two before they got to the Dark Lords' lair.  
  
**************************************************************************** *******  
  
Hermione stared warily up at Voldemort. She had been pushed to the floor by the death eaters, and they had backed up. Voldemort studied her carefully.  
  
"Hermione, where do you stand in this coming war?" Hermione felt a bit surprised. She didn't really feel that she had a place in this war, she wasn't really important.  
  
"Nowhere, I don't think. I'm not a very important person."  
  
"And does that disappoint you?" Hermione opened her mouth, then closed it again. She wasn't sure what to say. Hermione felt sure that Voldemort was trying to trick her, yet.  
  
"It's not important to me." She said finally.  
  
"You lie, mudblood. I'm afraid I'll have to teach you a lesson. Lucius, inform the other death eaters that tonight they will have a little toy to play with. An tell them that I want her to be alive by tomorrow." At that Voldemort swept out of the room. Hermione closed her eyes in horror. Her first day here and she was going to die, she just knew it.  
He had called her a toy.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********  
  
Lucius filled his mug to the brim with beer and took a swig, then walked over to the tied up Hermione, who was struggling harder the closer he came.  
  
"Not afraid, are you my dear?" He asked, his voice slurred with drunkenness. Hermione glared at him defiantly. "Don't know why you wouldn't be. Our master will hand you over to us either way. Even if you do tell him your plans, he will still kill you."  
  
"I'm not afraid of dying." Hermione whispered. "I won't tell you anything, I'd much rather die!" she spat at his feet. Lucius laughed.  
  
"Later tonight, when the younger ones leave, I'll show you what power is, girl." He hissed in her ear. Hermione glared at the blonds' retreating back, feeling tired and, truthfully, a bit scared. She didn't know what Lucius meant by telling her he would show her what power really is. She didn't want to know.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"So, Granger. Are you a virgin?" Lucius asked, undoing the top half of his robe. Hermiones' eyes widened in horror as he slipped the rest of his robe off, revealing a simple black T-shirt and black trousers.  
  
"No." she whispered. Lucius flipped his shirt off, giving her a strange look.  
  
"No? Pity. If you were I could make this even more painful than it already is."  
  
"You're disgusting." Hermione whispered in horror as Lucius started to take off his pants.  
  
"Really? I think I have a rather attractive body, if I do say so myself." Lucius hissed dangerously.  
  
"I can think of a lot of men more attractive than you." Hermione spat softly in his face.  
  
"Oh really? Well, you aren't exactly beautiful yourself, mudblood." Lucius bent over and took off her school robes. "In fact, let's see." His eyes roved over her body. "Bushy hair, bad blood, foul personal hygiene." His smile was cold and cruel. "Dumbledore really ought to change the length of your skirts, eh? They seem rather short to me." Hermione struggled in horror as Lucius started unbuttoning her blouse.  
  
"No." she hissed, trying vainly to pull away from him. Lucius laughed as he removed her blouse and studied her. She was left in a bra and skirt. He was going to rape her. Lucius traced a pale, thin finger down her body, and Hermione trembled under his touch. His finger was cold.  
  
"See, mudblood, my lord doesn't think you're telling the whole truth. We'll just have to force it out of you." He gave her a strange look again before taking off his boxers and starting to undo her bra. He ripped her skirt and knickers off, a smile plastered on his face. He was married, yes, but Narcissa was not quite as young as she used to be.  
Oh, this was going to be fun.  
Hermiones' screams of pain and horror could be heard from outside the room she and Lucius were in, they were that loud. 


	32. Bones

I'm in a good mood, so here's a little present to my readers!!!  
LOVE YOU ALL!  
  
Chapter # 32  
  
"There it is." Severus whispered, pointing at the tall, shriveled tree. "Come on." He grabbed James' wrist and pulled him along.  
  
"That's Voldemorts' lair?" James asked doubtfully.  
  
"Yup. Come on, just touch the tree." Severus instructed softly. James touched the tree with his index finger and waited uneasily. Severus placed his palm on the tree and muttered,  
  
"Eternos sperazaz diffusoz." James gasped softly as he and Severus tumbled down into the dark hole that formed at Severus' command. They landed with a soft thud on the soft, sandy ground, and James let out a muffled "oomph" as he landed on his rear end. Severus snickered down at him.  
  
"You coulda said something." James muttered, then stood up and peered around. "Where are we, exactly?"  
  
"These tunnels lead to Voldemorts' place. Some tunnels go in circles. They're marked, you see, so only the death eaters and Voldemort can get through. That's why I had to come with you." Severus answered, bending down and studying the side of a tunnel to their right.  
  
"Well, I don't think we'll be able to just march right in there and get Hermione without getting caught." James answered doubtfully.  
  
"No, but I do want to cause as little ruckus as possible. I mean, don't go running down the tunnels calling her name." Severus muttered, striding down the tunnel he had been carefully examining.  
  
"Of course." James replied smoothly, and he followed Severus in silence.  
  
They walked for what seemed like hours, turning left, right, left, and doubling back after Severus made a mistake. Finally, James grabbed his wrist and glared at the death eater spy.  
  
"Are you sure you know where we're going? Hermione could be dead already, I don't wanna lose her, Severus."  
  
"I know." Severus looked away. "I can't concentrate, James. I can't think. I. my mind is so foggy." His sharp, keen wit was gone, James noticed.  
  
"It's Voldemort." He said softly. "Voldemort cast a spell on this place. I mean, you look ill, Severus. Voldemort must know we're here." James gently rubbed Severus' shoulder. "You have to think. Where would they keep Hermione?"  
  
"I don't. maybe, well.. They might have put her in the death eaters' room. Or maybe Voldemorts' room. Or they might have put her right with the other prisoners. James, it's hard to say." Severus answered, closing his eyes in frustration.  
  
"Well, let's check the death eater room first." James decided, and they turned left. After five kilometers they turned right again, and James noticed an opening that led to a slightly brighter room. Voices could be heard, whispering and chattering amongst themselves.  
  
"There's some in there. I'll just check quickly, then we'll leave, alright?" Severus asked.  
  
"Alright. Yeah, sure. Do you want me to check?"  
  
No." Severus answered stubbornly. "You have to save Hermione. Don't get caught, alright?"  
  
"You better not either. I'm not leaving here without you following on both legs." James answered just as stubbornly as Severus had. Severus nodded and flattened himself against the wall, inching slowly towards the opening. James slid slowly into a crack in the tunnel wall, sucking his stomach in and peering out at Severus.  
  
Severus creeped slowly forward, peering into the large cavern. Several death eaters were chatting nonchalantly at a round table, others were having heated conversations about what their master would plan next in his little game.  
  
No sign of Hermione. He looked away, then glanced back, and reality struck it's foot cruelly in his stomach. No Lucius either.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"Lucius has her. I'm sure of it. He should be in there but he isn't. James, I know where she is." Severus whispered in a near silent voice. "She's with the other prisoners."  
  
"What did he do to her?" James asked, dreading the answer he would be given.  
  
"Lucius is not kind to his prisoners. Raped her, slapped her around, I think. Nothing too bad, just really painful." Severus replied, laying a comforting hand on James' shoulder. James shifted uneasily, then sighed.  
  
"Let's go save her." He mumbled. "Lead the way." Severus nodded and they doubled back, then turned right instead of left.  
They entered another large cavern, this one filled with what looked to James like bones.  
  
"Are those. human bones?" he asked Severus, who nodded.  
  
"Voldemort put the prisoners' bodies in this room." He muttered.  
  
"Well, then I'm guessing Hermione is still alive." James replied. "Because she isn't in here."  
  
End of chapter.  
  
A/N - Heh, heh, heh. Sorry for the short chapter, but it's a pretty good ending, I think. 


	33. Throwing Punches

Just as the story gets exciting, it gets dull again, but don't worry! Things will, ahem, heat up pretty soon.  
  
Chapter # 33  
  
Hermione shifted in her spot, trying vainly to ignore the pain that shot up her body. Lucius had put her back in the room she had woke up in, chaining her back to the bed. Well, if you could call it a bed. There was no blanket or sheet on it, just a chunk of foam on a bedspring. And right now it was stained with blood. Lucius had thrown her a ragged gray robe, and the blood that was seeping from her cuts and wounds was staining the robe and going right through it. The foam was now a dark red in one spot.  
And she was still bleeding, too. The knife he had used in his sex game had hurt her, almost as much as his fists had.  
Hermione shuddered. Never did she want to experience that again.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
"Okay, follow me closely, and don't get lost, because chances are you'll never be found." Severus instructed.  
  
"Well, lead the way." James replied. Severus nodded and walked slowly towards a long stairway.  
  
"Now, be really quiet, okay?" Severus whispered as they walked carefully down the stairs.  
  
"Yeah." James whispered softly. They walked down two flights of stairs, and came to two dark hallways.  
  
"Two ways." Severus whispered. "James, we're going to have to split up."  
  
"But." James stopped at the look Severus gave him. "Fine." He gave in. "I'll go right, you'll go left, 'kay?"  
  
"Fine. Look, if you find Hermione. come back here. Only a death eater can open the doors and bars around here, so you'll have to come get me if you find her. I've got keys" Severus replied softly. James nodded.  
  
"Where are all the death eaters?" he asked uneasily. Severus laughed coldly.  
  
"Out playing with muggles, I suppose." James felt a shiver run down his back.  
  
"Later." He muttered, leaving Severus standing at the bottom of the steps, still shaking his head in dead amusement.  
  
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James inched along the tunnel, staying as close to the jagged edges of the wall as possible. He could hear voices talking swiftly and eagerly. James managed to grab snatches of conversations, searching for Hermiones' name.  
  
"Filthy whore anyway, you know. Don't need her."  
  
"Can't believe you put up with that horndog, Beyonca!"  
  
"Can't wait till we get to go on another raid. Get to play with some muggles."  
  
"Heard Lucius put the boots to that mudblood in the cell next to Miane Cathers."  
  
The voices fluttered and echoed through the tunnels, and James saw, to his horror, two death eaters moving up ahead. He flattened himself into a nearby crevice, crossing his fingers.  
  
Think of Hermione, just think of Hermione. you gotta save her.  
  
The two dark wizards drew closer and closer, until they were only a few footsteps away from James' hiding place. They were both silent and sullen- looking, and James recognized them immediately.  
  
Crabbe and Goyle. They had bee only one year ahead of James in Hogwarts, but oh, they were bullies, always picking on first years and anyone else that wouldn't put up much of a fight. They were now only about two feet from James. He closed his eyes and held his breath, and waited.  
  
The footsteps stopped.  
  
"Hey, who are you?" Crabbe asked dully.  
  
"What are you doin' in there, you." but James didn't let Goyle finish his sentence. He kicked the man in the groin, then spun around and threw a punch directly into Crabbes' face. The two yowled in pain.  
  
"Shut up, freaks." He hissed, striking Crabbe on the head and kicking Goyle in the stomach. It knocked the two unconscious. James let out a sigh of relief. Nice to know he could still throw a few good punches. He felt a momentary burst of male pride at seeing that he had knocked out two men on his own, before carrying on down the tunnel.  
  
He would find Hermione, and kick any guys' ass if they laid their hands on her.  
  
A/N : Okay, I swear to God, James will find Hermione in the next chapter. This is getting kinda boring.  
  
Need some vibes. gotta get some vybbes...  
  
To be continued.......  
  
VIBES!!!!!!!  
  
Kay, I'm good now. 


	34. Throwing More Punches

Chapter # 34  
  
James first heard the hacking coughs about ten minutes after beating up Crabbe and Goyle, and he could recognize them immediately. Hermione. He started at a slow jog, following the noises. James felt a strong urge to call out to her, but.. He didn't want any more death eaters to find him.  
  
Cough, cough.  
  
The coughing was louder now. In fact, James was pretty sure he was close to her now. Really close. He stopped and studied the heavy steel door to his right. That was where the coughing was coming from.  
  
Hermione??  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
Lucius studied the girl coolly.  
  
"Are you going to tell the truth yet?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione answered, coughing hard as she talked.  
  
"You are a very bad liar." Lucius hisses, reaching over and slapping her face.  
  
"I'm not lying." Hermione replied, then closed her mouth as Lucius raised his hand again in a threatening manner.  
  
"Tell me the truth, you little wench, or do I have to rape you again?" Hermione felt a tremor of rage tingle down her spine.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!" She screamed angrily, ignoring the scratchy feeling in her throat that made her burst into violent, hacking coughs. Lucius punched her hard, drawing blood from her lip. He grabbed the front of her blouse and tore it open. His hands groped and ripped her skirt and knickers off. Hermione turned her head away, determined not to look at him. Lucius grabbed her face and forced her to stare him in the eye.  
  
"Show some respect, you piece of filth!" He hisses to the naked, terrified girl beneath him. "I guess I'm going to have to give you another lesson, you didn't seem to learn the first."  
  
"Get your fuckin' hands off of her!" A voice screamed. The heavy mental door swung open and James Potter lunged at Lucius, knocking him to the dirt ground.  
  
"HELP!" Lucius screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping to gain another death eaters' attention. His feeble plan didn't work. James punched at any solid surface he could find. Malfoys' face, his chest, ribs, stomach, he even purposefully aimed one right at the other, smaller wizards' balls. Lucius howled in pain. Hermione watched from the bed in amazement. She had never seen James so mad. His blue eyes were smoking with rage.  
  
"You don't ever touch her, you slimy piece of shit! You understand? Don't fuckin' touch her!" He screamed, then stood up and spit triumphantly in Malfoys' face. Hermiones' eyes widened in a mix of shock and delight.  
  
"James." she began weakly, but he ignored her and kept spitting at Lucius in rage.  
  
"Can't believe you have the guts to touch my girlfriend.." he ranted, then aimed a final blow to the mans' head. Lucius fell to the ground, unconscious. James turned to the wide-eyed Hermione, his face instantly softening.  
  
"James." She whispered. "Is it.. are you really here?" James reached out and gently stroked her face, pushing her hair behind her ear.  
  
"I'm here, babe. I'll never take my eyes off of you again. Gods, I love you so much, Hermione!" he kissed her fervently on the lips, letting his mouth carry down her neck, feeling the soft, bloody skin...  
  
"You're bleeding!" he whispered in concern. "Oh. god, did Malfoy do this to you?" Hermione nodded.  
  
"James, look in his pocket. There's a key ring in there that unlocks these." She jerked her head at the bands around her wrists. "Don't worry, it's not that bad. Just a bit of bleeding." She added softly.  
  
"Hermione." James started in anger, but she interrupted him.  
  
"His pocket, James. Look in his pocket." She demanded. James nodded quietly and bent over Malfoys' still form, searching silently for the key ring.  
  
"Hermione." he said softly. "We're here to bring you back to Hogwarts. Don't worry, we'll get you out."  
  
"There's somebody else here?" Hermione asked in surprise.  
  
"Yeah, Severus. Hermione, look."  
  
"What's Snape doing here?" Hermione asked in disbelief. James sighed.  
  
"I should have told you this a long time ago. He's."  
  
"Never mind." Hermione intervened. "You're right, we have to get out of here."  
  
"Okay, come on." James unlocked the bands holding Hermione down, then took her hand. "Follow me." He whispered as they snuck out of the room and headed back the way James had come. "We've gotta find Severus.  
  
They walked in silence for five minutes, then James froze in his tracks.  
  
"James, are you alright?" Hermione asked warily. He was spacing out, his eyes growing dim.  
  
"Uh." He whispered. "Uh?" Hermione backed away uneasily.  
  
"What's happening too you, James?"  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
Severus felt a streak of white-hot pain burn through his head, fiery light erupting behind his eyelids. The death eaters who had surrounded him shrieked at what they saw. He was glowing a fierce green color, it was like the light was a part of him, woven into every fiber of his being, and Severus screamed as his head seemed to explode.  
The death eaters tried to run, but the fiery energy that radiated off of Severus burned them to their last spark of life.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
"Believe me, if I was a bad fire prince."  
  
End of chapter. 


	35. Power Drive

Chapter #35  
  
James felt the searing feeling leave, replaced with pure rage. He turned his head and stared at Hermione.  
  
"You cause this pain.. It's you, I know it. feel it... Whether he actually said that or not, James didn't know. His mind had left, replaced by. something else? But James felt the rest of his human thoughts leave him. The rage was fading, replaced by eagerness. He could smell it on her, the fear, oh.. It was so strong.  
  
"James? Are you alright?" Hermione asked in concern.  
  
"Kill her..rip her apart, James. She.. She killed Harry, Lily.. Dead because of her. Now kill her!"  
  
"Oh no, not you again."  
  
"I'm back, James. You'll never get rid of me. That's why Lily left you, James. You're dangerous. Imagine, every time she made love to her husband he turned on her and tried to kill her. You're worse than Lupin." The voice ranted.  
  
"Get out of my head, I'm not going to hurt Hermione!"  
  
"You already have, James. You already have. Look at her, bleeding and scared and broken. Poor child. You took her innocence James. Now you will take her life!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"You made the mistake of trying to control your other halfs' mind instead of you own body before. You've just done it again. She's an inch from death James. Your hands just dug into her flesh. You're killing her. Because that's what you're bred to do. Kill. Not to love, not to care, to kill."  
  
"Hermione, RUN!"  
  
Hermione screamed as he lunged at her, his fingers outstretching and digging into her shoulder. She jerked away and tore through the halls, screaming. There was smoke in the corridors, though, and she couldn't breath much anymore. The terrified girl got down on her hands and knees and crawled swiftly across the ground, rocks digging into her bleeding hands and knees.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" she whispered in anguish, glancing back at the smoky tunnel she had come from before crawling along in search of an exit.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Severus felt the second wave of anger wash over him, and his whole body felt on fire. Well, it didn't help that he was on fire. The heat was almost unbearable, and yet it seemed strangely revitalizing.  
  
"Eurgh.. Miss Granger?" he croaked, battling through the current chaos of spells and curses being fired at him. "For fucks' sake, get out of my way!" he shoved one of the death eaters out of the way, ignoring the feeling of his fingers, which now were equipped with long claws, sinking into flesh.  
  
"Grab him, you fools!" Voldemorts' recognizable voice shrieked. "Grab him, don't let him get away!" Four more death eaters grabbed him by the legs, and Severus screamed and kicked at them. He was in a state of mind where he couldn't think clearly, couldn't apprehend what was going on with his emotions, they were in complete pandemonium. He screamed at the death eaters and far away, as though it was echoing up through the years of abuse, cruelty, and lies, came power he had never known to posses, partly because the power was not his to take, but belonging to something else.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
The explosion could be heard from Hogwarts, and Harry and Ron, who were sitting at the lake thinking about Hermione, stared in shock at the fire that shot up from behind the mountains. Harry stood up, his mouth opened in bewilderment. Ron too opened his mouth, but neither found words to describe what they were seeing.  
  
"What in the hell is that?" Harry finally managed to whisper.  
  
"I.. holy shit, it's still blowing up.." Ron trailed off as the fire climbed higher into the air.  
  
"Ron, I think we should go in the castle. look, there's bits of rock, they're fricking falling from the sky, now come on." Harry whispered to the other shocked boy, who followed him into the castle, his mouth still open.  
  
When they got to the great hall, students were milling about in a state of shock, until Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. The whole hall froze.  
  
"I think it is time to inform you of recent events." He said gravely. "And I beg you, please do not panic."  
  
It wad damned hard not to panic, as another explosion rocked the castle walls and the air turned a tinge of fiery orange. Several first years, and a few second and third years, had dissolved into tears. People stood up and ran to others for comfort. Harry felt Ginny gripping his arm and whimpering at his side.  
  
They sat in the hazy red-orange glow, waiting. Dumbledore was waiting for the explosions to quiet down, so he could explain to the students. The students were waiting for peace and quiet, so they could hear what the adults had to say.  
  
Four more explosions went off in the next five hours, each one making the students tremble in their seats. The strange fire-orange air did not clear, however, and everything was seen with an orange tint to it. First years clung to older friends desperately, searching for comfort from the terrifying incident.  
  
Harry cradled Ginny against him reassuringly, and Ron waited with Fred and George.  
  
The chaos lasted for a total of seven hours, for it took two hours after the last explosion for everyone to calm down, and for the orange haze to leave.  
  
Dumbledore stood up sadly after everyone had settled down.  
  
"I now feel that I must provide you with an explanation." He said sadly. "Though it is not logical, and in no way does it make sense. I will start with Hermione Granger, being attacked by death eaters during the summer.."  
  
**************************************************************************** ********** End of chapter. Evil, aren't I? 


	36. Feelings

Clear up a few things. DUMBLEDORE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT JAMES TO THE STUDENTS!  
  
!!!!!!!!!!  
Now, [sticks tongue at raging, screaming fans] yeah, I got a life[ it sucks, but it's still there] but hey, I love you guys.  
  
I will now continue on with the story.  
  
Chapter # 36  
  
James carefully gathered the screaming, sobbing Hermione into his arms, regretting having attacked her. He had felt the evil presence inside him leave just before the first explosion, and he had rushed to the coughing girls' side.  
  
Now, as he felt Severus' energy coursing through the air, he closed his eyes and concentrated on protecting Hermione. As the fire from the explosion neared them, James concentrated all of his mind on directing the fire away from Hermione and himself. It worked, though the sweltering heat was covering them, and James was sweating and panting.  
  
How many more of those is he gonna fucking pull off.  
  
James tensed as he felt the heat and energy for the second blast gather. The next five hours were going to be hell, he was sure of it. Severus was powerful, and by the feel of things the other wizard was definitely not holding back.  
  
The second explosion was bigger than the first, and a bright light glared at them as the air turned hazy and orangey in color from the magical energy.  
  
Only one way to fight those off..  
  
James jammed his eyes shut and called out to Hermione desperately.  
  
"Close your eyes!"  
  
"They are closed!" Hermiones' voice was soft and trembling in fear.  
  
"I'm going to cast a bubble of magic around us, alright? You're going to have to stay calm, Hermione!" Hermione answered back.  
  
"Hold me and I'm be alright!" So he held her, then turned and filled his mind with cool, serene thoughts. Then he gathered his thoughts and concentrated on protecting Hermione. A dark, deep blue bubble of magic was starting to form around them, beating back the fierce orange glow. It settled gently around Hermione and James, and the heat eventually started to fade, replaced by a soft gray/blue light.  
  
"Okay, you can open your eyes now. Just think about your friends the next time another wave of magic comes, alright? Whatever you do, don't think about bad things. Keep your thoughts positive." James whispered. Hermione opened her eyes and nodded slowly.  
  
"James, why did you attack me?" she asked softly.  
  
"That wasn't me, that was. the fire prince in me." James replied reluctantly.  
  
"But you said you weren't dangerous."  
  
"As long as I keep it in check."  
  
Oh." Hermione rested her head on James' chest and the two waited. About an hour and a half later, another explosion went off somewhere to their left, this one not as bad, but still very rattling. Hermione buried her head in James' robes and started to cry softly.  
  
"Don't worry, Hermione." James whispered soothingly. "It's going to be okay."  
  
"I love you." She whispered, and James could tell she meant it with all her heart.  
  
"I." he choked momentarily. "I love you too Hermione." He lowered his head to hers and their lips met. It was unlike any kiss they had shared before. Hermione swore she could feel every little cell in her body, tingling individually with pleasure.  
  
"Don't let me go, James."  
  
He didn't.  
  
**************************************************************************** *********  
  
[*More evil grins. Can't resist.*]  
  
Severus felt the tremors run through his body as he powered up for the second blast. Anger and hate filled his brain, and the heat gathered more intensely this time.  
  
God, this is hard on the old body. Severus thought with a grim smile as his whole body shook with the effort of projecting such strong magic. His mind started spinning with images of his past, and Severus felt his life flashing through his mind.  
  
Boarding the Hogwarts Express for the first time and catching the hem of his robes on a piece of metal sticking out and having the new uniform robe split up the middle..  
  
Second year, Lucius Malfoy boasting about quidditch skills and Severus making it on the team as seeker, Sirius Black knocking him off of his broomstick with a bludger during a practice game the two houses were having.  
  
Fourth year, Lily Evans falling down the stairs and Severus having to carry her to the hospital wing, James Potter punching him out when he cursed at Lily, getting his broomstick broke in half and losing the quidditch cup because of the slytherin beater.  
  
Fifth year, embarrassed because his voice was squeaky and he was shorter than half of the fifth year girls, falling off of his broom again during the quidditch cup and James Potter catching him before he smacked into the ground, causing Gryffindor to lose the game, and later during their O.W.Ls' James Potter attacked him and embarrassed him again and again and again...  
  
Seventh year, his first real kiss was with Lily Evans, who had been sobbing at the time, then getting a girlfriend who happened to be a death eater.  
  
The memories flashed before him, and finally Severus had taken enough of the hate and disgust and mirth from the others, and he felt his body readying for another explosion. It was weaker than the second, but stronger than the first. Severus screamed as he felt it being violently ripped from his body. A single thought floated through his head.  
  
"James.. Hermione.. I hope you're safe."  
  
End of chapter. 


	37. Tears Held Back

Chapter #37  
  
The students of Hogwarts were now seated quietly at their respective house tables, leaning in to hear what their headmaster had to say.  
  
"When Miss Granger arrived, we were under the impression that she arrived alone. This was not the case. She was accompanied by another." Dumbledore began slowly and clearly. Harry picked his goblet up and took a full swig of pumpkin juice.  
  
"She was accompanied by James Potter."  
  
Harry spit out the mouthful of juice on Rons' robes.  
  
"Ergh, Harry that was disgusting!"  
  
"Earlier in the school year an article in the daily prophet was printed that claimed James Potters' body was missing. But his body was not missing. He was, in fact, here at Hogwarts, alive, thirty-five years old, and quite aware that he had been "dead" for fourteen years."  
  
Whispers erupted in the Great Hall, and Harry just stared at his goblet, his mind in a state of shock. Ron turned to Harry and patted him lightly on the back.  
  
"S' okay mate." He whispered. "I'm sure Dumbledore will explain."  
  
"Now, you are to go to your respective common rooms, and I want no one to be out of their common rooms until morning." Dumbledore said sternly. Complaints erupted from the students. They wanted a real explanation, not a brief one.  
  
"Come on." Ron muttered. Harry got up, still in shock from the information. McGonagall was approaching them through the mob of students.  
  
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, you are to come to the headmasters' office." She instructed, then noted the blank, shocked look on Harrys' face, and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Mr. Potter. Professor Dumbledore will explain. It's a bit of a shock to all of us, really. Now come along." She steered Harry towards the headmasters office. Ron followed behind.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
"Harry. How are you faring this evening?" Dumbledore asked with a smile, his blue eyes twinkling. Harry stared at him, green eyes hard and cold. The headmaster sighed and peered at Harry over his glasses. "I am sure that one you hear the whole story, that scowl will no longer be on your face." He said, but Harry interrupted, standing up angrily.  
  
"The truth, Professor? The real truth, or some half-assed story that you're going to feed to me because I'm targeted by Voldemort?" he demanded loudly. Dumbledore looked up into the young wizards' eyes. They were lacking their usual softness.  
  
"Harry," he began, but Harry interrupted him again.  
  
"Why are you doing this to me? What do you want, Professor? I'm sick of your little games, of you sidestepping the truth all the time!" Harry screamed. Ron stood up as well, though not for the same reason as Harry.  
  
"I'll leave, sir." He muttered.  
  
"Thank you Ron." Dumbledore said gratefully as the redhead exited, glancing back at his angry friend in concern.  
  
Harry glared at him from across his desk.  
  
"I apologize, Harry, but I was unaware of the situation. Please, give me a chance to explain." Dumbledore pleaded softly. Harry turned his head away and studied Fawkes, his eyes pricked with tears that he refused to spill. He glanced back at Dumbledore.  
  
"Go ahead, then." He hissed coldly. "Take your best shot, see if you can convince me that he's actually alive."  
  
"Harry." Dumbledore sighed. "First I want to bring Professor Lupin and Sirius here. They deserve to know the truth, as do you."  
  
"Then tell me the damn truth." Harry replied emotionlessly. Dumbledore nodded, and as he did, Remus Lupin burst into the office. He looked as though he had been crying.  
  
"Is it true? Is it really true?" he whispered.  
  
"I will get to that Remus. Owl Sirius now." Dumbledore instructed. Remus nodded and took to owling Sirius, while Harry stared at Fawkes the phoenix, who was currently cleaning his feathers.  
  
"Harry?" the boy acknowledged the older wizard, nodding his head.  
  
"What?" his voice was cold, hostile with hate. Remus look over at him, startled.  
  
"You alright, Harry?" he asked with a forced smile. Harry glared at him.  
  
"Oh yeah, you know what? I'm fine. I just found out that my dead father was actually alive and that my best friend was hiding him from me, but yeah, I'm great." He snapped. Remus stared at Harry, then his face grew angry, to the boys surprise.  
  
"You think you're the only one suffering? Well guess what, you're wrong. You don't even KNOW him, Harry! How do you think I feel? I knew him since my own Hogwarts days, and now he's back, how do you think I feel, and Sirius, and even Snape? You're not the only one with feelings, Harry." Remus screamed at the shocked boy. For three seconds Harry stared at him, then turned away. The tears that had been sparkling in his eyes earlier now streamed down his face.  
  
"I'm leaving." He whispered.  
  
"Harry." Dumbledore began.  
  
"I'll come back when my godfather is here." The boy slammed the large oak doors closed, then sank to his knees, sobbing quietly.  
  
End of story.  
  
JUST KIDDING! End of chapter! 


	38. A Feeling of Utter Uselessness

Chapter #38  
  
Sirius read and reread the letter he had received only five minutes ago from Remus. It had been a frantic yet oddly formal letter, meaning Remus was obviously stressed about something.  
  
Snuffles,  
Dumbledore requests that you come to Hogwarts immediately, as there is a very serious matter to discuss. He asks that you come within two hours of receiving this letter.  
  
Hurry up,  
Remus  
  
Sirius frowned. Something to do with Voldemort, he suspected. He rescanned the letter, than noticed a note at the bottom that made his heart beat doubltime.  
  
P.S: Harry needs you.  
  
Sirius tossed the letter aside and grabbed a cloak.  
  
Harry needed him.  
  
Voldemorts' got him...  
  
Sirius was sure of it. He pulled the ragged gray cloak over his shoulders and bolted to the fireplace, seizing a handful of floo powder from a tin on the mantle.  
  
Harry.. God let him be alright...  
  
"Dumbledores' office!"  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Ron Weasley made his way dejectedly towards the Gryffindor common room, a mixed feeling of emotions racing through his head.  
  
He was met at the fat lady by a frantic Ginny Weasley.  
  
"Where's' Harry? Oh Ron, I have to see if he's alright!" she cried. Ron shrugged.  
  
"He's with Dumbledore."  
  
"I gotta go find him, oh Ron this is horrible."  
  
Wait." Ron grabbed Ginny by the shoulder and spun her around. "What's' horrible?"  
  
"Harry! Did you see the look on his face when Dumbledore said that? I've gotta find him!" At that Ginny left Ron, who spoke the password to Gryffindor common room and was greeted by Neville, Dean, and Seamus, all wanting to know what was going on. Ron was all too happy to bask in his new fame.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, stared meditatively out at the sky from his perch up at the astronomy tower. His eyes were glued to the spot where the explosion had rocked the mountains.  
  
He was thinking, of course, about James Potter and Hermione Granger. Could there have been a way to prevent this chaos? The ministry was going to be absolutely furious when they found out.  
  
And his father? Probably already dead, or close to it. He had been in the dark lords' hideaway place when the explosion had went off. There was no doubt in Dracos' mind about that.  
  
He shifted his gaze to the grounds below and sighed. It looked peaceful, too peaceful, right now. The lake shimmered blue and clear, the grass was green and lush, the greenhouses were lined up neatly, glass reflecting the setting sun, which was by now sinking behind the western mountain range.  
Serene, calm. And yet. there was mayhem going on, only three hundred miles away from those mountains. Draco made a silent prayer to the sky.  
  
Let Professor Snape live.. The only person that ever cared. God, let him live..  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Professor Severus Snape collapsed in a heap on the rough ground outside of the underground lair. He was tired, he was angry, and he was in despair. He lifted his head and stole a glance at James, who was cradling the young girl in his arms.  
  
They had been lucky to get out alive, all of them. The few death eaters who had survived had caught up to them. And what a battle it had been. Five times he had been hit with the crutiatus curse.  
His body still ached. But his own pain wasn't as strong as the pain he felt for James, who was tired and worn, and now had the burden of an unconscious girl on his shoulders.  
  
Severus coughed, blood flying from his mouth, spattering his lips and the ground in front of him. James' eyes flickered over to the other wizard, his emotions in turmoil. And it showed in his eyes.  
  
Hate, anger, despair, gratefulness, shock, love, devotion...  
  
Hermione was still out of it, he noticed. Blood was dripping down the side of her head.  
Hair was matted with blood.  
Like a scene right out of a seventies-style horror movie. Bloodstained white shirt, ripped, bloody skirt, dark circles under her closed eyes..  
  
"I'm sorry, James." He whispered softly. "I'm really sorry." His voice sounded far away, distant.  
  
"I don't blame you." James answered, his eyes turning away from Severus and looking down at the girl in his arms. "I should have told her."  
  
"I think you're right." Severus agreed softly. "You should have told her. But James.. You still have a chance to explain. We're gonna live through this, okay? I'm not going to let you die. Not here, not like this. I refuse." James looked back at Severus.  
  
"Then I think you should help me. You're as involved in this mess as I am, dearest twin brother of mine."  
  
End of chapter. 


	39. Collapse

Chapter #39  
  
Ginny raced towards Dumbledores office, her heart pounding in her chest.  
  
Poor Harry.. She thought wildly as she rounded the corner and passed the infirmary.  
  
She carefully approached the stone gargoyle statue, wringing her hands nervously. She had never like going to the headmasters' office. It gave her the chills.  
  
"Peanut Brittle." The gargoyle jumped out of the way, and Ginny was just preparing herself to race up the stairs when she skidded to a halt, almost stepping on the curled up, crying Harry Potter.  
  
"Harry." She said simply. The boy looked up at her, his green eyes ten times brighter with tears in them.  
  
"Not now Ginny." He whispered softly. Ginny sighed and sat down beside him.  
  
"Harry, it's okay. Dumbledores' gonna sort it all out, right? He always does." She reassured. Harry shook his head.  
  
"No. it's not going to be okay." He whispered. Ginny wrapped a comforting arm around the older teens' shoulders.  
  
"Harry, look at me." She instructed. Harry wiped the tears out of his eyes, his face burning with embarrassment at being seen crying, and looked down at Ginny.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Even if Dumbledore isn't here for you, I am. Harry, I love you, you know that, so please, just please, let me help you. You have to tell me what's wrong." Ginny insisted softly.  
  
"Gin, I can't stand it! He lies, they always lie! Dumbledore won't even tell me the goddamn truth, because he thinks I'm a little kid, but I'm not!" Harry whimpered and sobbed. Ginny squeezed his shoulders tightly.  
  
"Listen to me, Harry James Potter, Dumbledore is most certainly not the most perfect person in the world. I know everyone makes him out to be like, the greatest wizard in the world, but he's not! Harry, do you understand now why teens hate their parents? I can see the same conflict between you and Dumbledore. He's only trying to help, to raise you so you're a happy, successful person, but he's not perfect, and he doesn't necessarily know how to do that, he's just trying his best. Do you understand?" Ginny asked breathlessly.  
  
"Ginny, you don't."  
  
"I understand PERFECTLY well, Harry!"  
  
"HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He screamed at her. The two of them were on their feet now in their newfound screaming match.  
  
"BECAUSE, MY MOTHER DOES THE EXACT SAME THING THAT DUMBLEDORE IS DOING!"  
  
**************************************************************************** ********  
  
James Potter laid back down on the soot-covered, ashy ground, letting the girl in his hands fall beside him. He glanced sideways at Severus, who was far more injured then he or Hermione, who was still out of it.  
  
"We have to get out of here, James." Severus said from his spot on the ground.  
  
"I know that." James replied, chewing meditatively on his lip. "But Severus, we're too weak to apparate. Too weak to walk. There's nothing we can do. We're gonna have to wait."  
  
"Wait for who, James? Nobody is going to come out here anytime soon, and." Severus was interrupted by a loud, shrill whinny. "What the hell was that?" he asked, turning his head slightly.  
  
"It's. Flame." The winged horse was cantering towards them, hooves stirring up dust and ash as he moved forward. James outstretched his arm towards the large creature, who snorted and licked it gently.  
  
"When did you learn to call him like that?" Severus whispered.  
  
"Learned when I was five." James replied wryly. Snape shook his head  
  
James hoisted the unconscious girl onto Flames' broad back, then boosted Severus up. Finally, he clambered on in front of Severus and Hermione. Severus held Hermione carefully and gripped James around the waist, and James gently kicked the horse in the side, making him start off carefully, fully aware of the injured people on his back. Severus spoke quietly in his ear.  
  
"James, you think we'll get there in time? She's bleeding badly."  
  
"We'll make it." James answered, his teeth gritted determinedly. Severus shifted the girl in his lap, a sigh escaping his lips. It was half exhaustion and half pain.  
  
"She's cold to touch." He answered.  
  
"Don't let her die, Severus." The horse leaped into the air, catching James a bit off-balance at first, but he quickly regained his composure. Red wings unfolded and pounded through the air as they soared upwards. James relaxed finally. He had done this many times before. It was an identical feeling to riding a broomstick.  
  
3 hours later...  
  
James leaned back nervously as Flame landed neatly beside a cottage, reddish brown wings fluttering to his sides. Pain jolted up through James' body and lights danced in front of his eyes.  
  
"I'll just check and see if they have their fireplace connected to the floo network." He spoke softly to Severus before knocking on the door. An old man in funny-looking, dirty old robes answered him.  
  
"Oh hello there, stranger! How can I help ye'?" he asked cheerfully.  
  
"I was wondering sir, if you might have that fireplace of yours connected to the main floo network." James answered hopefully.  
  
"As a matter o' fact I do, young man. Step right in, ye' can use it if ye' like." The strange man replied in a friendly way.  
  
"Thank you." James turned and called to his horse. "Flame, come here, boy. Come on!" The horse came up to him, and James carefully lead the horse into the house and right up to the fireplace. He turned to the old man suddenly.  
  
"Don't you recognize me?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Nope. I was born blind, mate." The man answered with a hearty grin. James felt a small smile spread across his face, and he popped the middle finger up at the other wizard. Severus grinned weakly down at him.  
  
"James, I gotta get off."  
  
"Yeah, hand her to me will you?" James whispered in an attempt to lighten the mood, taking Hermione from the other mans' hand as though she was made of glass. Severus carefully inched his body off of the horse, wincing in pain at each movement. Once he was off of the horse, Flame shook his head and turned, moving out of the building easily. The fading drum of hoofbeats signaled that he had left.  
  
"Well, that was certainly a miracle." Severus whispered with a groan.  
  
"Not really. But you can hardly stand, Severus, I think we best floo straight to Dumbledore." James replied seriously, taking a pinch of floo powder and throwing it into the fire.  
  
"No way, I opt for the hospital wing." Severus replied with a small smile on his split, bleeding lip.  
  
"Yeah, but I think it might be a bit safer to go to Dumbledores' office. I mean, there's probably students in the hospital wing." James answered. Severus nodded, then gasped and collapsed, Hermione still in his arms.  
  
"Severus, are you alright?" James asked worriedly.  
  
"Can't. think, ..sleep." Severus moaned in reply, and James recognized it immediately. Severus' body had shut down. It was too tired to move much anymore. James dragged the two into the emerald green fire and screamed, loud and clear,  
  
"DUMBLEDORES' OFFICE!"  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
End of chapter 


	40. Sirius Arrives, Quickly Followed by A Fe...

Chapter #40  
  
Sirius flung himself out of the fireplace and seized the shocked Remus Lupin by the collar of his ragged robes.  
  
"Where's Harry? Is Voldemort gonna kill him? Did they hurt him? Are you sending people to get him? Is Snape the one who brought him to Voldemort? I knew he was on the dark."  
  
"SIRIUS!" Remus interrupted loudly. Sirius stopped, his hands waving soundlessly above his head, staring at Lupin and looking in all the world like a madman. "Harry is right here at Hogwarts. It's Hermione that Voldemort has."  
  
"She's alive though, right? Oh, I should be comforting Harry, but really Remus, you made it sound so urgent." Sirius answered, his shoulders slumping.  
  
"Sirius, this is a very serious situation, no pun intended." Remus replied. "Seems Hermione was rescued last summer by James Potter. She knew he was alive. Apparently he handed himself in and now he's gone after Hermione. Severus is with him, though." Sirius exploded again.  
  
"Alive? Ridiculous! James is dead, what is this, some kind of sick game? Don't tell me you told Harry? Oh god, he must be so confused.." Sirius was ranting again, and he knew it. His arms were waving wildly in the air as he paced back and forth, talking up a storm.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
Harry and Ginny sat together on the stairs, Ginny sniffing and Harry looking guilty as hell, when he heard the voice yell,  
  
"SIRIUS!" He turned to Ginny.  
  
"I guess I better go talk to Dumbledore now. Thanks Gin."  
  
"You're welcome, Harry. Would you like me to come with you?"  
  
"Yes, please." Harry replied weakly, feeling like a small child, and the two walked into Dumbldores' office. Ginny froze and pointed at Sirius, who was waving his arms like a madman.  
  
"SIRIUS BLACK!" Sirius stopped in the middle of the floor and stared at Ginny.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked before turning to his godson. "Harry, are you alright? You've been crying, haven't you? Come here." Sirius rushed up to the boy and pulled him into a relieved hug.  
  
"Sirius, I'm fine." Harry answered softly. "Ginny, this is my godfather Sirius, Sirius, my girlfriend Ginny Weasley. She's Rons' sister." He introduced awkwardly.  
  
"He.. He's a mur.murderer." Ginny stammered.  
  
"No, no he's not. Sirius is innocent. Gin, it's a really long story. I'll explain later."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Sirius held out his hand carefully, and Ginny took it, nervousness written all over her face. Harry turned to Dumbledore, his anger under more control than before, thanks to Ginny.  
  
"Sorry for blowing up like that earlier, sir." He muttered in embarrassment. Sirius looked over at him in surprise.  
  
"Harry, you really shouldn't shout at your professors." He scolded gently. Harry glared at him.  
  
"I know, Sirius, but."  
  
"Harry has been reprimanded, Sirius. You can thank Miss Weasley for that." Dumbledore interrupted, his eyes twinkling in amusement. Sirius shook his head.  
  
"Right, sorry. Now what's all this about James?" he asked angrily. "Headmaster, it was not James. He's dead, you know that. Maybe it was someone else, but it couldn't have been James. A death eater, probably. In disguise." Harry nodded quietly by his godfathers' side.  
  
"But Sirius, who would do that, and why?" Remus asked in confusion.  
  
"To get close to Harry." Sirius replied sharply, draping a protective arm around his godsons' shoulder. "To do what they're doing right now. Making him upset."  
  
"Sirius, I'm fine." Harry retorted loudly.  
  
"Then what about Severus? He thought it was James. He let it into the castle! And that man is not easily tricked!" Remus stated wildly.  
  
"Yeah, because he's a death eater too!" Sirius retorted.  
  
"Sirius, Remus, that's enough!" Dumbledore said sharply. "Severus is not a death eater. As for this James-look- alike, we will have to see. Though personally, I do believe it really is him. "And I would like you all to relax. Miss Weasley, if it is Harrys' wish you may stay here. If he prefers you leave, then you must. Harry?"  
  
"Will you stay, Gin?" Harry asked hopefully. Ginny smiled and moved forward, her eyes flicking nervously at Sirius before leaning against Harry and allowing his arm to rest around her waist. Sirius moved away with a wry grin.  
  
"I'll leave you two to your business then. Just remember Harry, there's plenty of fish in the sea."  
  
"Sirius!" Remus cried. Sirius laughed happily. "You dog." Remus added with a hearty grin at his friend.  
  
"If you want me to stay here, I will." Ginny whispered to Harry, who smiled gratefully.  
  
"Thanks." He whispered back.  
  
"Anytime." Ginny answered with a smile. The mood in the room was considerably lighter, but the chatter was interrupted as the fireplace shook and the flames turned emerald.  
  
"Somebody's' flooing here." Remus said with a frown.  
  
"Yeah, and there's' more than one of them too." Sirius muttered. The fire started to whirl in the fireplace, and Harry, Ginny, Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore all waited as a ball of soot landed on the floor, followed by two more balls of soot.  
  
The occupants in the room stared in shock at what they saw.  
  
[Drum roll please] 


	41. Finally Found Out

I'm SO SORRY this took so long, I've had so much trouble with things lately. I don't know where to take this story, I have a major case of writers' block. Does anyone know what causes writers' block. Really, tell me so I can get rid of it!  
  
Besides all that, my friend just found out he has bone cancer, so I've been hanging with him a lot lately. I'll try updating more often though!  
  
Chapter #41  
  
James landed with a thump on the floor, his whole body covered in soot.  
  
"Oh... my head...." He croaked, then turned his head and looked up at Dumbledore.  
  
"You're sick!" Sirius screamed suddenly at him.  
  
"But Sirius..." James began, his throat dry and parched from no water.  
  
"I don't know who you are." Sirius whispered, his whole body trembling with rage. "But you should stop this. What do you want, anyhow?"  
  
"Well," James answered with an obviously forced, yet cheerful all the same, smile. "firstly, water would be nice. Some clean clothes perhaps. A hot shower and warm food. Medical attention for that young girl who is on the brink of death while you stand there yelling at your best friend, who is supposed to be dead, that he should stop being so sick." James stopped and took a breath, then grinned weakly. "Need I go on?"  
  
"Hermione!" Harry gasped, rushing to the smaller of the two figures. He gripped her by the shoulders and rolled her into a sitting position, repeatedly shaking her. "Wake up." He pleaded.  
  
"She won't wake up. Neither will Severus. They're out of it. Hermiones' bleeding badly and Severus is exhausted. Headmaster, please." James begged from his position on the floor by the fireplace.  
  
"Very well. I will bring them to the hospital wing. Harry, Ginny, stay here. Sirius and Remus, watch them for me. And please Sirius, don't do anything rash." Dumbledore replied, pulling out his wand and levitating the two unconscious ones.  
  
As soon as they left James was looking at Harry as though he was a ghost, and everyone, save James, was looking at him in the same manner.  
  
"You're alive." James breathed, staring at Harry. "Hermione was right, you're alive." Ginny glared at James.  
  
"You leave him alone, he doesn't need someone who is pretending to be his father." She hissed.  
  
"I was quite serious about that drink of water, Siri. Please?" James begged to the other man, who had now rested one hand on Harrys' shoulder. Sirius nodded and soundlessly conjured a glass of ice-cold water, then handed it the James. He drank it in one gulp, then examined himself.  
  
"You..." Remus began, but James was busy muttering to himself.  
  
"Soot and dirt all over.... Bloody brilliant. Ah, here's me old wand, couple o waves should do the trick, one, two, three!" He twirled his wand and pointed it directly at himself. The dirty clothes were replaced by a clean, simple black robe. "Better, don't you think?"  
  
"Much." Remus agreed weakly.  
  
"Anyhow," James said lightly. "What's this about me being sick? Begging your pardon, Siri, but I think I look quite well, don't you?"  
  
"Who are you?" Sirius whispered.  
  
"James Potter." James' face clamped down and a serious expression crossed it.  
  
"Prove it!" Sirius retorted hotly.  
  
"Prove it? Okay, let's see. Padfoot, and Moony. Right?"  
  
"Anybody could have known that." Sirius replied angrily. "The whole bloody school knew back then!"  
  
"Oh." James muttered. "Let's see. Ah yes, tell me Remus, does this sound familiar? Are you a werewolf, Remus? Yes James, I am a werewolf. But don't trouble yourselves with a trip to the headmaster. He already knows. I suppose you'll have to find someone else to do your homework now, Peter. Oh, but Remus, what makes you think that? Aren't you going to disown me now and deny that you ever knew a monster? No. Then what are you gonna..."  
  
"Enough." Remus whispered. James voice had grown colder as he recalled their conversation.  
  
"Peter could have told you that." Sirius replied angrily. "Something else."  
  
"You had sex with Peters' crush?" James recalled hopefully. Sirius shook his head. Remus gave a startled hiccough.  
  
"Peter never found that out." He whispered.  
  
"So? Malfoy knew that." Sirius snapped. Harry stood up suddenly from his sitting position and met the man in front of him with a piercing gaze.  
  
"If you're my father." Harry said heavily. "Tell me, what time, day, and month did Dumbledore offer to be your secret keeper?" James looked down at Harry, then closed his eyes and tried desperately to remember.  
  
"See, he doesn't know!" Sirius yelled, pulling out his wand.  
  
"It was after your party!" James cried suddenly. "Dumbledore came to your birthday party Harry. Sirius, you went to pick up that dog that you gave Harry for his birthday. Snuffles, I think we called him, and Remus, it was a full moon that weekend! It was 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 31st." he finished. Sirius lowered his wand and glanced at Harry, who was staring at James in shock.  
  
"It's really you." He whispered. James glanced uneasily at Sirius, then nodded. "You're alive...." James outstretched his arms hopefully for his fifteen-year-old son, and Harry nervously stepped forward, accepting his fathers' hug. James felt a relieved smile grace his bruised, scratched face.  
  
"Harry... you've grown. Last time I saw you, you hardly ever talked, and you had just started walking on your own, and now...." James trailed off, then hugged his son. Harry hugged him back tightly, a feeling welling up inside him, similar to the one he had felt with Mrs. Weasley, but much stronger, more supportive.  
  
"No." Harry whispered. "Stop. I don't wanna talk about that." He nuzzled against his fathers' chest, warmth and security washing over him. And for once, just once, Harry let his problems in life go, let them wash away with all of the pain and loneliness he had felt before.  
  
"Oh, alright." James gave in, his knees trembling with not physical weakness, but emotional. Harry backed away and turned to Sirius expectantly.  
  
End of chapter 


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